Does the Pope parallel Mount Holyoke students?

I’m not saying that Pope Francis is the new pillar of liberalism, but when you compare him to the past 265 leaders of the Vatican, he looks pretty good. Since his election in March, Pope Francis has stunned the conservative Catholic community with statements urging the Church to dismiss its obsessive thought patterns regarding homosexuality, women, abortion and contraception.

Pope Francis, though he has not blatantly stated his personal stance on homosexuality, stated that he will not “judge” another human for being gay. I believe many Catholics and non-Catholics are ready for a pro-gay leader. Pope Francis is taking a positive baby-step by attempting to pry open the minds of conservative Catholics, asking them to put “people over issues.”

Another central issue that the Pope has discussed is the necessity of women in the church and the roles they ought to take on. Though the Catholic Church traditionally maintains that women cannot be in positions of priesthood, Pope Francis has expressed that women are an indispensable part of the Church and the religion. In an interview that ran in several Jesuit publications, Pope Francis said, “We have to work harder to develop a profound theology of the woman. Only by making this step will it be possible to better reflect on their function within the church. The feminine genius is needed wherever we make important decisions.”

While the Pope’s words do not quite meet the contemporary definition of feminism, or close the gender gap that can be seen in almost every aspect of daily life, Pope Francis is showing an effort. He is presenting females and males as equal entities—an ideal the Catholic Church champions.

As a Mount Holyoke College student should, the Pope does not fear change. He hopes to appear accepting of the change the Catholic Church will inherently undergo as a result of the current generation, becoming more progressive, open-minded and liberal. This progressivity is strategically beneficial to the Church: Pope Francis and the Papacy understand that as Generation X (those born after World War II and before the ’80s) loses its influence, Generation Y (our generation) will begin to gain more and more power. He rightly recognizes that if he wants to maintain a degree of influence over the Catholic Church, he must stay current and trendy—a hallmark of our generation.

Karen Fernandez ’17 agrees, saying, “I think Pope Francis is the perfect person to revolutionize the religion. I strongly believe and hope that his practices will be followed by Catholic priests all over the world, thus creating more modern and accepting followers of the religion.”

Unlike the stereotypical Mount Holyoke student, the Pope is lacking a clear vision for the future. Though the Pope has certainly begun to move in the right direction of modernizing the Church, he is reluctant to explicitly state his personal ideals and has been vague on his goals for the future. In order to effectively open his followers’ minds, he must set a clear plan of action for what he hopes to accomplish.

Maybe the Pope can take a few lessons from Mount Holyoke students: realize that everything is subject to change. Meet that change head on. And be prepared to adapt, evolve and push beyond his comfort zone. If the Pope followed the Mount Holyoke never fear / change campaign, he would be unstoppable—just as we are.