ILLINOIS
The Daily Northwestern
Abigail Stratton and Asha Sawhney
February 24, 2015
The Catholic church has been criticized for its hierarchies and organization. More recently, there has been international outrage over sexual abuse scandals associated with members of the clergy. Pope Francis has taken on many of the issues of the Church and is arguably the most controversial pope the Catholic Church has had in decades. Many praise him as being the most progressive-minded Pope the Church has ever seen and hope he will reform and modernize the current system. Others are less enthusiastic. They are skeptical of Francis and believe he is a transitional figure unlikely to bring significant reform. The world continues to watch, waiting to see how and if he will effect change.
Abigail Stratton:
Before I address the larger topic at hand, I must acknowledge my personal bias: I am a Catholic. By no means do I agree with all aspects and opinions of the larger Church, but I do practice the faith, although I have actually lost confidence in the Vatican and Catholic Church as an institution. That said, I believe Pope Francis has already and will continue to bring positive change.
In general, the Church and Catholics have developed a negative reputation in the past few decades. Much of this criticism stems from opinions that the Catholic Church has not changed with the times. Many believe the Catholic Church is archaic and cannot be relevant in the modern era. I disagree. The Church is not a “modern” institution – it has existed for hundreds of years and is steeped in tradition, but it is not irrelevant. The world’s 1.2 billion Catholics are all affected by Francis’ decisions.
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