Like his predecessor John Paul II, he has keenly and rightly identified one of the key challenges of the Catholic Church in the 21st century as overcoming its negative image and presenting its faith as more than a long list of “don’ts”.
But, as Francis well knows from his decades of Church governance, this problem is a symptom of an underlying problem. The Church, for all its impressive size and institutional and cultural resources, has in many ways become a ship of spiritually lukewarm passengers led by complacent bureaucrats.
Thus, his soundbites work on two levels at once, delivering one message to the world at large, and another to the Catholic faithful.
Take one of his most famous quotes: “Who am I to judge?” regarding gay Christians who strive to follow Church teaching. Was he changing doctrine? No. Was he trying to signal a change in doctrine? No. Did he know what impact that statement would have? You bet.
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