Pope Francis: A Leader of ‘New Normal’

Abstract

The phenomenon of the survival of Christianity surpassing two millennia is unique. In spite of all the upheavals and controversies it has responded to the need of the time and survived because of the appropriate leaders who have given the needed guidance. Positively or negatively, for better or for worse, it is still holding a prominent position in the world. At the same time it is obvious that the world as a whole has moved into a new era of existence during this twenty-first century. The climate change that threatens the environment, the Covid-19 pandemic and the worldwide economic crisis created by the above events are new phenomena posing threats to humanity and have outdone the conventional and traditional ways of life and created new normal situations. In the midst of the above described alarming state of the world, this paper examines whether there is hope and future for humanity. The purpose of this study is to show that in the person of Pope Francis there are rays of hope for the world, humanity and Christianity. The hypothesis is that Pope Francis is providing an inspiring and timely leadership not only for the Roman Catholic Church but also for the whole world to shape the future in the new normalcy. More than ever, in the new normal situation, the world and believers are looking forward to an able guidance from their leaders. Hence, it is necessary to identify the essential qualities of a leader in the time of crisis. Pope Francis’ leadership is assuring hope to face the new normalcy and inspiring other leaders also to commit themselves for the betterment of whole human race. The paper will first briefly deal with the concept of ‘new normal’ and continue to examine Pope Francis’ leadership dimensions during the major global events that forced the world to gradually sink into new normal situation.