How Pope Francis is rebranding the Catholic Church

From columnist Michael Gerson:

A year ago, the prevailing narrative about the Catholic Church could hardly have been worse — pedophile priests, financial misdeeds, the arrest of the pope’s butler, for goodness’ sake. The Holy Spirit seemed to be on an extended vacation. Pope Francis’ “most important accomplishment so far,” said Allen, is a “massive change in story” from church in crisis to “humble, people’s pope takes world by storm.” It is a transformation that could be “taught in business school as a rebranding exercise.”

This has been more than public relations, but not devoid of public relations. Francis has a feel for powerful symbols of simplicity, humility and compassion, such as carrying his own suitcase, washing the feet of Muslim prisoners, inviting the homeless to his birthday party, touching the disfigured.

In this case, old Coke is pretty old — the example of a wandering preacher who touched lepers and consorted with a variety of sinners and outcasts. As in that ancient example, Francis has combined traditional moral teachings with a supposedly scandalous belief that people are ultimately more important than rules.

This is among the least understood aspects of Francis’ revolution. “His path to reform is not changing the catechism,” says Allen. Instead, it is “creating a zone for the most merciful application of pastoral teaching.”

Francis also seems to understand the urgency of his institutional reform task, pressing forward with reforms of the Vatican bank that were begun under Pope Benedict.

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