Sociologist Francisco Borba Ribeiro Neto, a religion expert, detailed in the special edition of WW, broadcast on Sunday (27), a strategy adopted by Pope Francis in his 12 years as leader of the Catholic Church: compassion for the distant and correction for the next.
Ribeiro Neto explains that Francis employs a characteristic logic of the Church: “For those who are neighbors, correction. For those who are far away, compassion.” This approach resulted in a peculiar situation, where those away from the church felt welcomed, while the closest experience of charge.
Prodigal son as a metaphor
The sociologist draws a parallel between the attitude of the Pope and the parable of the prodigal son. In this analogy, the distant son receives the unconditional love of his father, while the one who remained close is invited to share this joy. This dynamic, according to Ribeiro Neto, is at the heart of Francisco’s approach.
The papal strategy, however, was not free of controversy. The expert points out that Francis’ concern with human and existential situations not traditionally welcomed by the church generated discomfort in more conservative sectors. These groups – according to Ribeiro Neto – believed that the contemporary problem resided in the lack of rigor within the institution.
The sociologist avoids classifying debate as a simple division between progressives and conservatives. Instead, he proposes an analysis based on the confrontation between “rigorism” – the belief that all problems are resolved with rigidity – and “welcome”, represented by Pope Francis’ most compassionate approach.
