Pope Francis (2013-2025): A Retrospective Assessment

Pope Francis (2013-2025):
A Retrospective Assessment with Some Early Reflections on the Pontificate of  Leo XIV –
An International Relations Perspective

Pope Francis died a year ago and this is an opportune moment to offer an initial retrospective assessment with the anniversary of his death, especially how he dealt with international affairs. The lecture reflects on the Pope Francis’ Argentine background, and how in surprising, and important ways it helped to shape his approach to the papacy, and some of the main themes of his papacy: the culture of encounter, human fraternity, inclusive citizenship, care for creation, or the earth as our common home, interreligious dialogue and cooperation on common global issues, and his warning we may be walking ‘peacemeal’ into another global war. In each of these themes Pope Francis sought to identify a creative approach, as an active dimension of hope in a ‘closing’ and increasingly troubled world.   The lecture is also prospective, and it seeks to identify some of the early distinct characteristics of the exercise of the Petrine ministry of Pope Leo XIV. In this way it seeks to contribute to a better understanding of  the modern papacy, noting the ways it has dealt with a variety of significant changing global contours in the different eras of the church and international relations.

This lecture will be given by Dr Scott Thomas, Research Associate at Las Casas, at 5:30pm, Thursday the 28th of May in the Aula of Blackfriars Hall.

Open to everyone and registration is required.

Dr Scott Thomas is a Research Associate of the Las Casas Institute, a Research Associate at the Institute of European Studies and Human Rights, Pontifical University of Salamanca, Spain, and a contributing editor of The Review of Faith & International Affairs.  His current research focuses on the ‘theological turn’ in international relations. This is the recovery of the theology underlying the main theories and paradigms of international relations, which includes the relevance of St Francis, Pope Francis, and the Catholic tradition for interreligious dialogue and international relations.

Venue: Blackfriars Hall - St Giles Oxford, OX1 3LY United Kingdom Array ( [lat] => 51.756248 [lng] => -1.259881 )

Contact:
Las Casas Institute
lascasas@bfriars.ox.ac.uk