Pope of the Global South? Toward a Decolonial Reading of the Francis Papacy

Mar Louie Vincent Reyes

The election of Pope Francis in 2013 sent shockwaves throughout the Catholic world. As the first Latin American Pontiff, Francis provides an important lens into how the institutional Church perceives the Global South. Along with his Argentine background before becoming Pope, the study looks at two of Francis’ papal encyclicals (Laudato Si’ and Fratelli Tutti) and one of his apostolic exhortations (Evangelii Gaudium), the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon region, and other relevant statements and activities to see the scope of the soft power and influence of the Pope over the Global South and beyond. Applying Massimo Faggioli’s understanding of Francis’ global Catholicity and decolonial theory provides the globalization angle of the Holy Father’s discourses. From there, a critical discourse analysis of the texts helps us understand how the Pope shows particular focus on the plight of the Global South. The paper identifies key themes defining the Pope’s decolonial approach to global and spiritual matters: a culture of encounter, acknowledgment of various peripheries, critiques of coloniality and forms of exploitation, and promotion of integral ecology. From these results, the study constructs the framework of a decolonial paradigm to globalization and international relations that clarifies the role of the Catholic Church in the world and fosters greater appreciation of the subjects of decoloniality and international relations among Catholics. Understanding the Global South focus of the Francis papacy provides a model for different cultures, parishes, and communities with ties to the Catholic Church in countering colonial tendencies while promoting a greater connection between religion and the environment.