Faced with the challenge of briefly presenting Pope Francis' social ethics, it seemed to me that the only thing we could do was to begin from the so genuinely evangelical and typical Bergoglian theme of mercy. Then from there, it would seem to be easy enough to recognise many of the key approaches, ideas, writings, attitudes and gestures which characterise his pontificate, especially his pastoral and social theology, and which the people of God of the 21st century have been able to perceive and appreciate.
The Pope is first of all the pastor of the Church and sign of its unity. He can be a theologian professionally, or he cannot be, as it has happened for the majority of popes. ln both cases, in his teaching as well as in the choices he makes or in the orientations he offers, his teaching and his style are imbued with a theological perspective and ask theologians to confront with them.
The collection "Pope Francis' Theology", calling upon the expertise of eleven theologians from various Countries of the world, aims at showing us what theology is at the base of such incisive words and such simple gestures with which Pope Francis has made us so familiar.
They are eleven easy volumes, written in a captivating way yet able to show in a rigorous way the deep roots of his thought and action.
About the Author
Juan Carlos Scannone was born in Buenos Aires in 1932. He is a Jesuit theologian. He is one of the main points of reference for the Argentinian school of Theology of the young people. He gained a doctorate from Munich University and taught J M Bergoglio at the Villa Devoto Seminary. He lectures at a number of atheneums, including the Pontifical Gregorian University. He is the Director of the Institute of Philosophical Studies at the Faculty of Theology and Philosophy, San Miguel, in Argentina. He is a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, and a consultor to CELAM. Since 2014 he has been collaborator with La Civilta Cattolica.
