The Chief Apostle is the highest man-made minister in the New Apostolic Church , and has existed since 1896.
119-679: Former Chief Apostles: The function of the Chief Apostle is to lead the New Apostolic Church. On questions about the faith of New Apostolic Church members, he has the highest authority. Together with the district apostles he determines the policy of the church . The Chief Apostle can ordain new apostles or retire them. One of the most interesting Chief Apostles was J.G. Bischoff: at Christmas in 1950 he declared his "Botschaft" ("message"). This teaching announced that he would not die before Jesus Christ's return, during which
238-546: A cardinal , assigning him the title of cardinal priest of San Roberto Bellarmino , a Jesuit church. Bergoglio was installed there on 14 October. During his trip to Rome for the ceremony, he and his sister María Elena visited their father's hometown in northern Italy. As cardinal, Bergoglio was appointed to five administrative positions in the Roman Curia . He was a member of the Congregation for Divine Worship and
357-829: A pilgrimage to Jerusalem but his stay was shortened by the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War . After the completion of his term of office, in 1980 he was named the rector of the Philosophical and Theological Faculty of San Miguel where he had studied. Before taking up this new appointment, he spent the first three months of 1980 in Ireland to learn English, staying at the Jesuit Centre at the Milltown Institute of Theology and Philosophy , Dublin. He served at San Miguel for six years until 1986 when, at
476-632: A "communist turd." His disparaging comments sparked controversy among Catholics. However, following his inauguration, Milei softened his position and formally invited Francis to Argentina. Milei visited the Vatican on 11 February 2024, the day Francis canonized María Antonia de Paz y Figueroa , the first female Argentine saint. Elected at 76 years old, Francis was reported to be healthy and his doctors have said his missing lung tissue, removed in his youth, does not significantly affect his health. The only concern would be decreased respiratory reserve if he had
595-432: A belief or conviction that is not based on religious or supernatural doctrines. Secular faith can arise from a wide range of sources and can take many forms, depending on the individual's beliefs and experiences, including: The epistemological study focuses on epistemic justification, the rationality of belief, and various related issues. A justified belief is a belief that is well-supported by evidence and reasons, and that
714-672: A big sin and strictly forbidden to Jews). Rather, in Judaism, one is to honor a (personal) idea of God, supported by the many principles quoted in the Talmud to define Judaism, mostly by what it is not. Thus there is no established formulation of Jewish principles of faith which are mandatory for all (observant) Jews . In the Jewish scriptures, trust in God – Emunah – refers to how God acts toward his people and how they are to respond to him; it
833-536: A bishop he was no longer subject to his Jesuit superior. From then on, he did not visit Jesuit houses and was in "virtual estrangement from the Jesuits" until after his election as pope. Bergoglio was named Auxiliary Bishop of Buenos Aires in 1992 and consecrated on 27 June 1992 as titular bishop of Auca , with Cardinal Antonio Quarracino , archbishop of Buenos Aires, serving as principal consecrator. He chose as his episcopal motto Miserando atque eligendo . It
952-430: A changing approach to formalities at the Vatican. During his first appearance as pontiff on the balcony of Saint Peter's Basilica , he wore a white cassock , not the red, ermine-trimmed mozzetta used by previous popes. He also wore the same iron pectoral cross that he had worn as archbishop of Buenos Aires, rather than the gold one worn by his predecessors. After being elected and choosing his name, his first act
1071-407: A chemical technician's diploma. In that capacity, he spent several years working in the food section of Hickethier-Bachmann Laboratory, where he worked under Esther Ballestrino . Earlier, he was a bouncer and a janitor. When he was 21 years old, after life-threatening pneumonia and three cysts , Bergoglio had part of a lung excised. Bergoglio found his vocation to the priesthood while he
1190-476: A classic understanding of faith that is referred to as evidentialism , and which is part of a larger epistemological tradition called classical foundationalism , which is accompanied by deontologism , which holds that humans must regulate their beliefs following evidentialist structures. They show how this can go too far, and Alvin Plantinga deals with it. While Plantinga upholds that faith may be
1309-613: A collective apology for his church's failure to protect people from the Junta during the Dirty War. When he turned 75 in December 2011, Bergoglio submitted his resignation as archbishop of Buenos Aires to Pope Benedict XVI as required by canon law . Still, as he had no coadjutor archbishop, he stayed in office, waiting for an eventual replacement appointed by the Vatican. On 21 February 2001, Pope John Paul II made Archbishop Bergoglio
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#17327755826891428-614: A degree of trust, primarily in the spiritual attainment of Gautama Buddha . Faith in Buddhism can still be described as faith in the Three Jewels (the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha). It is intended to lead to the goal of enlightenment, or bodhi , and Nirvana . Volitionally, faith implies a resolute and courageous act of will. It combines the steadfast resolution that one will do a thing with the self-confidence that one can do it. In
1547-571: A diary purportedly belonging to an anonymous cardinal who had been present at the conclave. According to the Italian journalist Andrea Tornielli , this number of votes had no precedent for a Latin American papabile . La Stampa reported that Bergoglio was in close contention with Ratzinger during the election, until he made an emotional plea that the cardinals should not vote for him. According to Tornielli, Bergoglio made this request to prevent
1666-403: A greater understanding of God. Faith is not fideism or simple obedience to a set of rules or statements. Before Christians have faith, but they must also understand in whom and in what they have faith. Without understanding, there cannot be true faith, and that understanding is built on the foundation of the community of believers, the scriptures and traditions, and on the personal experiences of
1785-413: A necessary means for being a practicing religious Jew, but the emphasis is placed on true knowledge , true prophecy , and practice rather than on faith itself. Very rarely does it relate to any teaching that must be believed. Judaism does not require one to explicitly identify God (a key tenet of Christian faith , which is called Avodah Zarah (foreign worship) in Judaism, a minor form of idol worship ,
1904-476: A party who could harm but chooses not to, thereby entrusting or confiding in them. According to Thomas Aquinas , faith is "an act of the intellect assenting to the truth at the command of the will". Religion has a long tradition, since the ancient world, of analyzing divine questions using common human experiences such as sensation, reason, science, and history that do not rely on revelation—called Natural theology . The English word faith finds its roots in
2023-536: A perceived degree of warrant , or evidence , while others who are more skeptical of religion tend to think of faith as simply belief without evidence . In the Roman world, 'faith' (Latin: fides ) was understood without particular association with gods or beliefs. Instead, it was understood as a paradoxical set of reciprocal ideas: voluntary will and voluntary restraint in the sense of father over family or host over guest, whereby one party willfully surrenders to
2142-695: A personal god or a representational god by a devotee. In ancient texts such as the Shvetashvatara Upanishad , the term simply means participation, devotion, and love for any endeavor, while in the Bhagavad Gita , it connotes one of the possible paths of spirituality and towards moksha , as in bhakti marga . Ahimsa , also referred to as nonviolence , is a fundamental tenet of Hinduism that advocates harmonious and peaceful co-existence and evolutionary growth in grace and wisdom for all humankind unconditionally. In Hinduism, most of
2261-479: A political rival to the day he died in October 2010. Bergoglio's relations with Kirchner's widow and successor, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner , have been similarly tense. In 2008, Bergoglio called for national reconciliation during disturbances in the country's agricultural regions, which the government interpreted as a support for anti-government demonstrators. The campaign to enact same-sex marriage legislation
2380-531: A respiratory infection. In the past, one attack of sciatica in 2007 prevented him from attending a consistory and delayed his return to Argentina for several days. Francis is the first Jesuit pope. This was a significant appointment, because of the sometimes tense relations between the Society of Jesus and the Holy See . He came in second to Cardinal Ratzinger on all the ballots in the 2005 conclave and at
2499-485: A society's religiosity into corruption, secularism, or atheism , —interpretable as the ultimate loss of faith. In contrast to Richard Dawkins ' view of faith as "blind trust, in the absence of evidence, even in the teeth of evidence", Alister McGrath quotes the Oxford Anglican theologian W. H. Griffith Thomas (1861–1924), who states that faith is "not blind, but intelligent" and that it "commences with
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#17327755826892618-553: A statement in which the position of the Church is reviewed and provides that the "message" represented a personal position of Apostle Bischoff. The various communities and congregations which evolved out of these conflicts in different countries (Australia, Europe, South-Africa) gathered in 1956 to form the United Apostolic Church . Faith Faith is confidence or trust in a person , thing, or concept. In
2737-600: A technician in a food science laboratory. After recovering from a severe illness of pneumonia and cysts , he was inspired to join the Jesuits in 1958. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1969, and from 1973 to 1979 was the Jesuit provincial superior in Argentina. He became the archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998 and was created a cardinal in 2001 by Pope John Paul II . He led the Argentine Church during
2856-581: A traffic collision. His niece, Cristina Bergoglio , is a painter based in Madrid , Spain. In the sixth grade, Bergoglio attended Wilfrid Barón de los Santos Ángeles, a school of the Salesians of Don Bosco , in Ramos Mejía , Buenos Aires Province. He attended the technical secondary school Escuela Técnica Industrial Nº 27 Hipólito Yrigoyen, named after a past Argentine president , and graduated with
2975-466: A trusting commitment of person to person and thus involves Christian commitment to the divine person of Jesus Christ . In Methodism , faith plays an important role in justification , which occurs during the New Birth . The Emmanuel Association , a Methodist denomination in the conservative holiness movement , teaches: Living faith is the gift of God ( Ephesians 2:8 ; Romans 4:16 ) imparted to
3094-531: Is "an old verb meaning 'to furnish', used regularly by Demosthenes for bringing forward evidence." Tom Price (Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics) affirms that when the New Testament talks about faith positively it only uses words derived from the Greek root [ pistis ] which means "to be persuaded". British Christian apologist John Lennox argues that "faith conceived as a belief that lacks warrant
3213-546: Is a G‑d who hears his cries, yet it escapes him that this G‑d may be able to provide for him without requiring that he abrogate G‑d's will by stealing from others. For emunah to affect him in this way he needs study and contemplation. Faith is not a religious concept in Sikhism. However, the five Sikh symbols, known as Kakaars or Five Ks (in Punjabi known as pañj kakkē or pañj kakār ), are sometimes referred to as
3332-505: Is arrived at through a reliable and trustworthy process of inquiry. Faith is often regarded as a form of belief that may not necessarily rely on empirical evidence. However, when religious faith does make empirical claims, these claims need to undergo scientific testing to determine their validity. On the other hand, some beliefs may not make empirical claims and instead focus on non-empirical issues such as ethics, morality, and spiritual practices. In these cases, it may be necessary to evaluate
3451-471: Is drawn from Saint Bede 's homily on Matthew 9:9–13: "because he saw him through the eyes of mercy and chose him". On 3 June 1997, Bergoglio was appointed coadjutor archbishop of Buenos Aires and succeeded as metropolitan archbishop after Quarracino's death on 28 February 1998. As archbishop, he established new parishes, restructured the archdiocese, led pro-life efforts, and formed a commission on divorces. One of Bergoglio's major initiatives as archbishop
3570-472: Is less formal than that of his immediate predecessors: a style that news coverage has referred to as "no frills", noting that it is "his common touch and accessibility that is proving the greatest inspiration". On the night of his election, he took a bus back to his hotel with the cardinals, rather than be driven in the papal car. The next day, he visited Cardinal Jorge María Mejía in the hospital and chatted with patients and staff. At his first media audience,
3689-487: Is meant, first, as conscious knowledge, second, as the practice of good deeds, and ultimately as the acceptance of the divine authority of the Manifestations of God . In the religion's view, faith and knowledge are both required for spiritual growth. Faith involves more than outward obedience to this authority, but also must be based on a deep personal understanding of religious teachings. Secular faith refers to
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3808-633: Is no information and Justice couldn't prove it. I was in the APDH during all the dictatorship years and I received hundreds of testimonies. Bergoglio was never mentioned. It was the same in the CONADEP . Nobody mentioned him as instigator or as anything." Ricardo Lorenzetti , President of the Argentine Supreme Court, also has said that Bergoglio is "completely innocent" of the accusations. Historian Uki Goñi pointed that, during early 1976,
3927-449: Is only justified if there is evidence to back it up." "Evidence-based faith is the normal concept on which we base our everyday lives." Peter S. Williams holds that "the classic Christian tradition has always valued rationality and does not hold that faith involves the complete abandonment of reason while believing in the teeth of evidence". Quoting Moreland , faith is defined as "a trust in and commitment to what we have reason to believe
4046-656: Is rooted in the everlasting covenant established in the Torah , notably Deuteronomy 7:9: Know therefore that the LORD thy God, He is God; the faithful God, who keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love Him and keep His commandments to a thousand generations; The specific tenets that compose required belief and their application to the times have been disputed throughout Jewish history. Today many, but not all, Orthodox Jews have accepted Maimonides 's Thirteen Principles of Belief . A traditional example of Emunah as seen in
4165-631: Is set to be published in January 2025. Pope Francis was born as Jorge Mario Bergoglio on 17 December 1936 in Flores , a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires . He was the eldest of five children of Mario José Bergoglio (1908–1959) and Regina María Sívori (1911–1981). Mario Bergoglio was an Italian immigrant accountant born in Portacomaro ( Province of Asti ) in Italy's Piedmont region. Regina Sívori
4284-707: Is the first pope to be a member of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuit Order), the first from the Americas and the Southern Hemisphere , and the first born or raised outside Europe since the 8th-century papacy of the Syrian pope Gregory III . Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina , Bergoglio worked for a time as a bouncer and a janitor as a young man before training to be a chemist and working as
4403-479: Is true". Regarding doubting Thomas in John 20:24–31 , Williams points out that "Thomas wasn't asked to believe without evidence". He was asked to believe based on the other disciples' testimony. Thomas initially lacked the first-hand experience of the evidence that had convinced them... Moreover, the reason John gives for recounting these events is that what he saw is evidence... Jesus did many other miraculous signs in
4522-492: Is true. In this view, a person believes something when they are presented with adequate evidence that it is true. The 13th-century theologian Saint Thomas Aquinas did not hold that faith is mere opinion: on the contrary, he held that it represents a mean (understood in the Aristotelian sense) between excessive reliance on science (i.e. demonstration) and excessive reliance on opinion. According to Teresa Morgan , faith
4641-442: Is very different from faith conceived as a belief that has warrant". He states that "the use of the adjective 'blind' to describe 'faith' indicates that faith is not necessarily, or always, or indeed normally, blind". "The validity, or warrant, of faith or belief depends on the strength of the evidence on which the belief is based." "We all know how to distinguish between blind faith and evidence-based faith. We are well aware that faith
4760-481: Is wrong to assert that our capture took place at the initiative of Father Bergoglio (…) the fact is, Orlando Yorio and I were not denounced by Father Bergoglio." Bergoglio told his authorized biographer, Sergio Rubin , that after the priests' imprisonment, he worked behind the scenes for their release; Bergoglio's intercession with dictator Jorge Rafael Videla on their behalf may have saved their lives. Bergoglio also told Rubin that he had often sheltered people from
4879-686: The Crónica newspaper. Fernando de la Rúa replaced Carlos Menem as president of Argentina in 1999. As an archbishop, Bergoglio celebrated the annual Mass at the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral on the First National Government holiday, 25 May. In 2000, Bergoglio criticized the perceived apathy of society. During Argentina's economic depression , the Catholic Church criticized
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4998-500: The National Catholic Reporter , John L. Allen Jr. reported that Bergoglio was a frontrunner in the 2005 conclave. In September 2005, the Italian magazine Limes published claims that Bergoglio had been the runner-up and main challenger to Cardinal Ratzinger at that conclave and that he had received 40 votes in the third ballot, but fell back to 26 at the fourth and decisive ballot. The claims were based on
5117-706: The Amitabha Buddha in Pure Land Buddhism . In the Japanese form of Pure Land Buddhism, under the teachers Hōnen and Shinran , only entrusting faith toward the Amitabha Buddha was believed to be a fruitful form of practice, as the practice of celibacy, morality, and other Buddhist disciplines were dismissed as no longer effective in this day and age, or as contradicting the virtue of faith. {{ Harvey2013 }} Faith
5236-568: The December 2001 riots in Argentina . The administrations of Néstor Kirchner and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner considered him to be a political rival. Following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI on 28 February 2013, a papal conclave elected Bergoglio as his successor on 13 March. He chose Francis as his papal name in honour of Saint Francis of Assisi . Throughout his public life, Francis has been noted for his humility, emphasis on God's mercy, international visibility as pope, concern for
5355-504: The Five articles of Faith . The articles include kēs (uncut hair), kaṅghā (small wooden comb), kaṛā (circular steel or iron bracelet), kirpān (sword/dagger), and kacchera (special undergarment). Baptised Sikhs are bound to wear those five articles of faith, at all times, to save them from bad company and keep them close to God. In the Baháʼí Faith , faith
5474-513: The LGBT community , and has stated that while blessings of same-sex unions are not permitted, the individuals can be blessed , as long as the blessings are not given in a liturgical context. Francis is a critic of unbridled capitalism , consumerism , and overdevelopment ; he has made action on climate change a leading focus of his papacy. Widely interpreted as denouncing the death penalty as intrinsically evil, he has termed it "an attack on
5593-815: The Pallottine community murdered in the San Patricio Church massacre . At the same time, Bergoglio ordered an investigation into the murders themselves, which had been widely blamed on the National Reorganization Process , the military junta that ruled Argentina at the time. Bergoglio was the subject of allegations regarding the Argentine Navy 's kidnapping of two Jesuit priests, Orlando Yorio and Franz Jalics , in May 1976, during Argentina's Dirty War . He feared for
5712-565: The Proto-Indo-European (PIE) root * bheidh- , signifying concepts of trust , confidence , and persuasion . This root has given rise to various terms across different languages, such as Greek πίστις ( pístis ), meaning "faith", and Latin fidēs , meaning "trust", "faith", "confidence". Furthermore, the Proto-Indo-European root * were-o- adds another layer to the word's etymology, emphasizing
5831-684: The Synod of Bishops , and, according to the Catholic Herald , created "a favourable impression as a man open to communion and dialogue". Cardinal Bergoglio was known for his personal humility, doctrinal conservatism, and commitment to social justice . His simple lifestyle , including living in a small apartment rather than the elegant bishop's residence, using public transportation, and cooking his own meals, enhanced his reputation for humility. He limited his time in Rome to "lightning visits." He
5950-463: The believer . Christians may recognize different degrees of faith when they encourage each other to, and themselves strive to, develop, grow, and/or deepen their faith. This may imply that one can measure faith. Willingness to undergo martyrdom indicates a proxy for depth of faith but does not provide an everyday measurement for the average contemporary Christian. Within the Calvinist tradition
6069-675: The death penalty , helped to restore full diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba , negotiated a deal with China to define how much influence the Communist Party has in appointing Chinese bishops , and has supported the cause of refugees during the European and Central American migrant crises, calling on the Western World to significantly increase immigration levels. In 2022, he apologized for
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#17327755826896188-520: The 1980 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, said: "Perhaps he didn't have the courage of other priests, but he never collaborated with the dictatorship. … Bergoglio was no accomplice of the dictatorship." Graciela Fernández Meijide , member of the Permanent Assembly for Human Rights , also said that there was no proof linking Bergoglio with the dictatorship. She told the Clarín newspaper: "There
6307-548: The Church 's role in the " cultural genocide " of the Canadian indigenous peoples . On 4 October 2023, Francis convened the beginnings of the Synod on Synodality , described as the culmination of his papacy and the most important event in the Catholic Church since the Second Vatican Council . In October 2024, it was revealed that Pope Francis would be the first sitting pope to publish a memoir, Hope , which
6426-537: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints states that "faith in the Lord Jesus Christ" is the first principle of the gospel. Some alternative, yet impactful, ideas regarding the nature of faith were presented by church founder Joseph Smith in a collection of sermons, which are now published as the Lectures on Faith . Faith in Buddhism ( saddhā , śraddhā ) refers to a serene commitment to
6545-641: The Colegio de la Inmaculada Concepción, a high school in Santa Fe , from 1964 to 1965. In 1966, he taught the same courses at the Colegio del Salvador in Buenos Aires. In 1967, Bergoglio began his theological studies at Facultades de Filosofía y Teología de San Miguel . On 13 December 1969, he was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Ramón José Castellano . He served as the master of novices for
6664-860: The Discipline of the Sacraments , the Congregation for the Clergy , the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life , the Pontifical Council for the Family and the Commission for Latin America . Later that year, when Cardinal Edward Egan returned to New York following the September 11 attacks , Bergoglio replaced him as relator (recording secretary) in
6783-400: The Hadith of Gabriel, Iman in addition to Islam and Ihsan form the three dimensions of the Islamic religion. Muhammad referred to the six axioms of faith in the Hadith of Gabriel : " Iman is that you believe in God and His Angels and His Books and His Messengers and the Hereafter and the good and evil fate [ordained by your God]." The first five are mentioned together in
6902-420: The Holy See), French, Portuguese, and English, and he understands the Piedmontese language and some Genoese . Francis chose not to live in the official papal residence in the Apostolic Palace , but to remain in the Vatican guest house , in a suite in which he can receive visitors and hold meetings. He is the first pope since Pope Pius X to live outside the papal apartments. Francis still appears at
7021-430: The Holy Spirit. The result of the work of the Holy Spirit is faith." The four-part Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) gives Part One to "The Profession of Faith". This section describes the content of faith. It elaborates and expands, particularly upon the Apostles' Creed . CCC 144 initiates a section on the "Obedience of Faith". In the theology of Pope John Paul II , faith is understood in personal terms as
7140-469: The Jewish annals is found in the person of Abraham . On several occasions, Abraham both accepts statements from God that seem impossible and offers obedient actions in response to direction from God to do things that seem implausible. The Talmud describes how a thief also believes in G‑d: On the brink of his forced entry, as he is about to risk his life—and the life of his victim—he cries out with all sincerity, "G‑d help me!" The thief has faith that there
7259-415: The New Testament, the Greek word πίστις ( pístis ), can also be translated as "belief", "faithfulness", or "trust". Faith can also be translated from the Greek verb πιστεύω ( pisteuo ), meaning "to trust, to have confidence, faithfulness, to be reliable, to assure". Christianity encompasses various views regarding the nature of faith. Some see faith as being persuaded or convinced that something
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#17327755826897378-472: The Qur'an. The Quran states that faith can grow with remembrance of God. The Qur'an also states that nothing in this world should be dearer to a true believer than faith. Judaism recognizes the positive value of Emunah (generally translated as "faith", or "trust in God") and the negative status of the Apikorus (heretic), but faith is not as stressed or as central as it is in some other religions, especially Christianity or Islam . Faith could be
7497-454: The Saturday after his election, the pope explained his papal name choice, citing Saint Francis of Assisi as "the man who gives us this spirit of peace, the poor man", and he added "[h]ow I would like a poor Church, and for the poor". In addition to his native Spanish, he speaks fluent Italian (the official language of Vatican City and the "everyday language" of the Holy See) and German. He is also conversant in Latin (the official language of
7616-403: The Vedic prayers begins with the chants of Om. Om is the Sanskrit symbol that amazingly resonates the peacefulness ensconced within one's higher self. Om is considered to have a profound effect on the body and mind of the one who chants and also creates a calmness, serenity, healing, strength of its own to prevail within and also in the surrounding environment. In Islam, a believer's faith in
7735-436: The West but is understood and defined differently than in traditional interpretations. Within the Dalit Buddhist Movement communities, taking refuge is defined not only as a religious, but also a political choice. Bhakti ( Sanskrit : भक्ति ) literally means "attachment, participation, fondness for, homage, faith, love, devotion, worship, purity". It was originally used in Hinduism , referring to devotion and love for
7854-412: The allegations. The complaint was ultimately dismissed. The priests were tortured, but were found alive five months later, drugged and semi-naked. Yorio accused Bergoglio of effectively handing them over to the death squads by declining to tell the authorities that he endorsed their work. Yorio, who died in 2000, said in a 1999 interview that he believed that Bergoglio did nothing "to free us, in fact just
7973-478: The approach taken to faith, all Christians agree that the Christian faith (in the sense of Christian practice) is aligned with the ideals and the example of the life of Jesus . The Christian contemplates the mystery of God and his grace and seeks to know and become obedient to God. To a Christian, the faith is not static, but causes one to learn more of God and to grow in faith; Christian faith has its origin in God. In Christianity, faith causes change as it seeks
8092-519: The chosen people will be taken into His kingdom (the First Resurrection ). In 1954 this teaching became official dogma . Those ministers, especially the apostles, who did not preach this message lost their positions and were excommunicated from the New Apostolic Church. The most important "victim" of this policy was Peter Kuhlen , the ordained successor to J.G. Bischoff. When Chief Apostle Bischoff died in 1960, his dogma about Christ's return had not been fulfilled. In 2013, Chief Apostle Wilhelm Leber made
8211-416: The church's shepherds must have the "smell of the sheep", always staying close to the People of God)." On 13 December 2023, in an interview with Mexican broadcaster Televisa , Francis said that his " great devotion " was to the Salus populi Romani icon at the Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. Francis also told the news outlet that his tomb was already prepared at the basilica near the icon. Francis will be
8330-401: The community of spiritually developed followers, or the monastic community seeking enlightenment (the Sangha ). Although offerings to the monastic community were valued highest, early Buddhism did not morally condemn peaceful offerings to deities . A faithful devotee was called upāsaka or upāsika , for which no formal declaration was required. In early Buddhism, personal verification
8449-483: The conclave from delaying too much in the election of a pope. As a cardinal, Bergoglio was associated with Communion and Liberation , a Catholic evangelical lay movement of the type known as associations of the faithful . He sometimes made appearances at the annual gathering known as the Rimini Meeting held during the late summer months in Italy. In 2005, Cardinal Bergoglio authorized the request for beatification —the third step toward sainthood —for six members of
8568-562: The context of religion , faith is " belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". According to the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary , faith has multiple definitions, including "something that is believed especially with strong conviction", "complete trust", "belief and trust in and loyalty to God", as well as "a firm belief in something for which there is no proof". Religious people often think of faith as confidence based on
8687-472: The conviction of the mind based on adequate evidence...", which McGrath sees as "a good and reliable definition, synthesizing the core elements of the characteristic Christian understanding of faith". American biblical scholar Archibald Thomas Robertson (1863–1934) stated that the Greek word pistis used for "faith" in the New Testament (over two hundred forty times), and rendered "assurance" in Acts 17:31 ,
8806-495: The degree of prosperity may serve as an analog of the level of faith. Other Christian strands may rely on personal self-evaluation to measure the intensity of an individual's faith, with associated difficulties in calibrating to any scale. Solemn affirmations of a creed (a statement of faith) provide broad measurements of details. Various tribunals of the Inquisition , however, concerned themselves with precisely evaluating
8925-400: The dictatorship on church property, and once gave his own identity papers to a man who looked like him, so he could flee Argentina. The interview with Rubin, reflected in the biography El jesuita , is the only time Bergoglio has spoken to the press about those events. Alicia Oliveira , a former Argentine judge, has also reported that Bergoglio helped people flee Argentina during the rule of
9044-581: The dictatorship" in the 1970s, during the Dirty War . Bergoglio regularly celebrated the Holy Thursday foot-washing ritual in jails, hospitals, retirement homes, and slums. In 2007, shortly after Benedict XVI introduced new rules for pre-Vatican II liturgical forms, Cardinal Bergoglio established a weekly Mass in this extraordinary form of the Roman Rite . On 8 November 2005, Bergoglio
9163-644: The discretion of Jesuit superior-general Peter Hans Kolvenbach , he was replaced by someone more in tune with the worldwide trend in the Society of Jesus toward emphasizing social justice, rather than his emphasis on popular religiosity and direct pastoral work. He spent several months at the Sankt Georgen Graduate School of Philosophy and Theology in Frankfurt, Germany, considering possible dissertation topics. He settled on exploring
9282-418: The first pope since Pope Leo XIII to be buried outside the Vatican. Bergoglio was elected pope on 13 March 2013, the second day of the 2013 papal conclave , taking the papal name Francis. Francis was elected on the fifth ballot of the conclave. The Habemus papam announcement was delivered by the cardinal protodeacon , Jean-Louis Tauran . Cardinal Christoph Schönborn later said that Bergoglio
9401-414: The government's austerity measures, which worsened poverty. De la Rúa asked the church to facilitate dialogue between economic and political leaders to address the crisis. Although he claimed to have spoken with Bergoglio about participating, Bergoglio reportedly said the meeting was canceled due to a misunderstanding by De la Rúa's assistant. Bishop Jorge Casaretto doubts this, noting that De la Rúa only made
9520-400: The inviolability and dignity of the person", "inadmissible", and committed the Church to its abolition , saying that there can be "no going back from this position". In international diplomacy, Francis has criticized the rise of right-wing populism , called for the decriminalization of homosexuality (though still considering same-sex acts as sinful), called for the worldwide abolition of
9639-537: The junta. Since Francis became pope, Gonzalo Mosca and José Caravias have related to journalists accounts of how Bergoglio helped them flee the Argentine dictatorship. Oliveira described the future pope as "anguished" and "very critical of the dictatorship" during the Dirty War. Oliveira met with him at the time and urged Bergoglio to speak out—he told her that "he couldn't. That it wasn't an easy thing to do." Artist and human rights activist Adolfo Pérez Esquivel ,
9758-650: The later stratum of Buddhist history, especially Mahāyāna Buddhism , faith was given a much more important role. The concept of the Buddha Nature was developed, as devotion to Buddhas and bodhisattvas residing in Pure Lands became commonplace. With the arising of the cult of the Lotus Sūtra , faith gained a central role in Buddhist practice, which was further amplified with the development of devotion to
9877-463: The metaphysical aspects of Islam is called Iman ( Arabic : الإيمان ), which is complete submission to the will of God, not unquestioning or blind belief. A man must build his faith on well-grounded convictions beyond any reasonable doubt and above uncertainty. According to the Quran, Iman must be accompanied by righteous deeds and the two together are necessary for entry into Paradise . In
9996-434: The military junta still had a good image among society, and that the scale of the political repression was not known until much later; Bergoglio would have had little reason to suspect that the detention of Yorio and Jalics could end up in their deaths. When Bergoglio became pope, an alleged photo of him giving the sacramental bread to dictator Jorge Rafael Videla became popular in social networks. It has also been used by
10115-574: The national day elsewhere the following year and the Mass in the cathedral was suspended. In 2006, Bergoglio helped the fellow Jesuit Joaquín Piña to win the elections in the Misiones Province and prevent an amendment of the local constitution that would allow indefinite re-elections. Kirchner intended to use that project to start similar amendments at other provinces, and eventually to the national constitution. Kirchner considered Bergoglio as
10234-494: The new pope, and only did so in a passing reference within a routine speech. Due to the pope's popularity in Argentina, Cristina Kirchner made what the political analyst Claudio Fantini called a " Copernican shift " in her relations with him and fully embraced the Francis phenomenon. On the day before his inauguration as pope, Bergoglio, now Francis, had a private meeting with Kirchner. They exchanged gifts and lunched together. This
10353-405: The newspaper Página/12 . The photo was soon proved to be false. It was revealed that the priest, whose face is not visible in the photo, was Carlos Berón de Astrada. The photo was taken at the church "Pequeña Obra de la Divina Providencia Don Orione" in 1990, not during the Dirty War, and after Videla's presidential pardon. The photo was produced by the agency AFP and it was initially published by
10472-916: The notions of truth and trustworthiness. This root is evident in English words like veracity , verity , and verify , as well as in Latin with verus , meaning "true". The term faith in English emerged in the mid-13th century, evolving from Anglo-French and Old French forms like feid and feit , ultimately tracing back to the Latin fidēs . This Latin term, rooted in the PIE root * bheidh- , encompassed meanings such as trust , confidence , and belief . Referring to "religions" (plural), Pope Francis claims that "the majority of people living on our planet profess to be believers". The word translated as "faith" in English-language editions of
10591-616: The obedient heart through the Word of God ( Romans 10:17 ), and the ministry of the Holy Ghost ( Ephesians 2:18 ). This faith becomes effective as it is exercised by man with the aid of the Spirit, which aid is always assured when the heart has met the divine condition ( Hebrews 5:9 ). Living faith is to be distinguished from intellectual confidence which may be in the possession of any unawakened soul ( Romans 10:1–4 ). The Articles of Faith of
10710-417: The opposite". Jalics initially refused to discuss the complaint after moving into seclusion in a German monastery. Two days after the election of Francis, Jalics issued a statement confirming the kidnapping and attributing the cause to a former lay colleague who became a guerrilla, was captured, then named Yorio and Jalics when interrogated. The following week, Jalics issued a second, clarifying statement: "It
10829-409: The orthodoxy of the faith of those it examined – to acquit or to punish in varying degrees. The classification of different degrees of faith allows that faith and its expression may wax and wane in fervor—during the lifetime of a faithful individual and/or over the various historical centuries of a society with an embedded religious system. Thus, one can speak of an "Age of Faith" or of the "decay" of
10948-742: The painting to Argentina, but in an interview for the German newsweekly Die Zeit in 2017, Pope Francis stated that he had never been to Augsburg. As a student at the Salesian school, Bergoglio was mentored by Ukrainian Greek Catholic priest Stefan Czmil . Bergoglio often rose hours before his classmates to serve Divine Liturgy for Czmil. In 1992, Jesuit authorities asked Bergoglio not to live in Jesuit residences due to ongoing tensions with leaders and scholars, concerns about his "dissent," views on Catholic orthodoxy, opposition to liberation theology , and his role as auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires. As
11067-600: The poor, and commitment to interreligious dialogue . He is known for having a less formal approach to the papacy than his predecessors, for instance choosing to reside in the Domus Sanctae Marthae guesthouse rather than in the papal apartments of the Apostolic Palace used by previous popes. Francis has made women full members of dicasteries in the Roman Curia . He maintains that the Catholic Church should be more sympathetic toward members of
11186-570: The practice of the Buddha's teaching and trust in enlightened or highly developed beings, such as Buddhas or bodhisattvas (those aiming to become a Buddha). Buddhists usually recognize multiple objects of faith, but many are especially devoted to one particular object of faith, such as one particular Buddha. In early Buddhism , faith was focused on the Three Jewels or Refuges, namely, Gautama Buddha , his teaching (the Dhamma ), and
11305-501: The presence of his disciples... But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, and that believing ye might have life in his name. John 20:30–31 ." Concerning doubting Thomas, Michael R. Allen wrote: "Thomas's definition of faith implies adherence to conceptual propositions for the sake of personal knowledge, knowledge of and about a person qua person". Kenneth Boa and Robert M. Bowman Jr. describe
11424-636: The president in advancing necessary legislation. During police repression of the riots of December 2001 , he contacted the Ministry of the Interior and asked that the police distinguish rioters and vandals from peaceful protesters. When Bergoglio celebrated Mass at the cathedral for the 2004 First National Government holiday, President Néstor Kirchner attended and heard Bergoglio request more political dialogue, reject intolerance, and criticize exhibitionism and strident announcements. Kirchner celebrated
11543-441: The priests' safety and had tried to change their work prior to their arrest; contrary to reports, he did not try to throw them out of the Jesuit order. In 2005, Myriam Bregman , a human rights lawyer, filed a criminal complaint against Bergoglio, as superior in the Society of Jesus of Argentina, accusing him of involvement in the kidnapping. Her complaint did not specify how Bergoglio was involved; Bergoglio's spokesman flatly denied
11662-495: The province there and became a professor of theology. Bergoglio completed his final stage of spiritual training as a Jesuit, tertianship , at Alcalá de Henares , Spain, and took final, solemn vows as a Jesuit, including the fourth vow of obedience to missioning by the pope, on 22 April 1973. He was named provincial superior of the Society of Jesus in Argentina that July, for a six-year term which ended in 1979. In 1973, shortly after being named provincial superior, he had made
11781-674: The religious career. As a Jesuit novice he studied humanities in Santiago , Chile. After his novitiate in the Society of Jesus, Bergoglio officially became a Jesuit on 12 March 1960, when he made the religious profession of the initial, perpetual vows of poverty, chastity and obedience of a member of the order. In 1960, Bergoglio obtained a licentiate in philosophy from the Colegio Máximo de San José in San Miguel , Buenos Aires Province. He taught literature and psychology at
11900-642: The request in newspaper interviews, not formally to the church. In the 2001 elections , the Justicialist Party won a majority in Congress and appointed Ramón Puerta as Senate president. With Vice-President Carlos Álvarez having resigned, the opposing party was next in line . Bergoglio met with Puerta and was positively impressed. Puerta assured him that the Justicialist Party was not planning to oust De la Rúa and promised to support
12019-543: The result of evidence testifying to the reliability of the source (of the truth claims), yet he sees having faith as being the result of hearing the truth of the gospel with the internal persuasion by the Holy Spirit moving and enabling him to believe. "Christian belief is produced in the believer by the internal instigation of the Holy Spirit, endorsing the teachings of Scripture, which is itself divinely inspired by
12138-512: The time appeared as the only other viable candidate. He is also the first from the Americas, and the first from the Southern Hemisphere . Many media reported him as being the first non-European pope, but he is actually the 11th; the previous was Gregory III from Syria, who died in 741. Moreover, although Francis was not born in Europe, he is ethnically European ; his father and maternal grandparents were from northern Italy. As pope, his manner
12257-540: The validity of these beliefs based on their internal coherence and logical consistency, rather than empirical testing. Pope Francis God Schools Relations with: Pope Francis ( Latin : Franciscus ; Italian : Francesco ; Spanish : Francisco ; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio ; 17 December 1936) is head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State . He
12376-545: The window of the Apostolic Palace for the Sunday Angelus . As a Jesuit pope, he has been "making clear that a fundamental task of the faithful is not so much to follow rules but to discern what God is calling them to do. He is altering the culture of the clergy, steering away from what he has named as "clericalism" (which dwells on priestly status and authority) and toward an ethic of service (Francis says
12495-566: The work of the German / Italian theologian Romano Guardini , particularly his study of 'Contrast' published in his 1925 work Der Gegensatz . He returned to Argentina earlier than expected to serve as a confessor and spiritual director to the Jesuit community in Córdoba . It was believed that while in Germany, he saw the painting of Mary, Untier of Knots in Augsburg and brought a copy of
12614-480: Was a housewife born in Buenos Aires to a family of northern Italian (Piedmontese-Genoese) origin. Mario José's family left Italy in 1929 to escape the fascist rule of Benito Mussolini . According to María Elena Bergoglio (born 1948), the pope's only living sibling, they did not emigrate for economic reasons. His other siblings were Oscar Adrián (1938–deceased), Marta Regina (1940–2007), and Alberto Horacio (1942–2010). Two great-nephews, Antonio and Joseph, died in
12733-468: Was a particularly tense period in their relations. When Bergoglio was elected pope, the initial reactions were mixed. Most of the Argentine society cheered it, but the pro-government newspaper Página/12 published renewed allegations about the Dirty War, and the president of the National Library described a global conspiracy theory. The president took more than an hour before congratulating
12852-554: Was bestowing the Urbi et Orbi blessing on thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square . Before blessing the crowd, he asked those in St. Peter's Square to pray for his predecessor, "the bishop emeritus of Rome" Pope Benedict XVI, and for himself as the new "bishop of Rome". Francis held his papal inauguration on 19 March 2013 in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican. He celebrated Mass in
12971-451: Was defined as a state similar to enlightenment, with a sense of self-negation and humility. Thus, the role of faith increased throughout Buddhist history. However, from the nineteenth century onward, Buddhist modernism in countries like Sri Lanka and Japan, and also in the West, has downplayed and criticized the role of faith in Buddhism. Faith in Buddhism still has a role in modern Asia and
13090-400: Was devoted to St. Thérèse of Lisieux and enclosed a small picture of her in the letters he wrote, calling her "a great missionary saint". After Pope John Paul II died on 2 April 2005, Bergoglio attended his funeral and was considered one of the papabile for succession to the papacy. He participated as a cardinal elector in the 2005 papal conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI. In
13209-461: Was elected following two supernatural signs, one in the conclave - and hence confidential - and a Latin-American couple, friends of Schönborn at Vatican City, who whispered Bergoglio's name in the elector's ear; Schönborn commented "if these people say Bergoglio, that's an indication of the Holy Spirit". Instead of accepting his cardinals' congratulations while seated on the papal throne , Francis received them standing, reportedly an immediate sign of
13328-687: Was elected president of the Argentine Episcopal Conference for a three-year term (2005–08). He was reelected to another three-year term on 11 November 2008. He remained a member of that commission's permanent governing body, president of its committee for the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina , and a member of its liturgy committee for the care of shrines. While head of the Argentine Catholic bishops' conference, Bergoglio issued
13447-417: Was named ordinary for those Eastern Catholics in Argentina who lacked a prelate of their own church. Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk said that Bergoglio understands the liturgy, rites, and spirituality of Shevchuk's Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and always "took care of our Church in Argentina" as ordinary for Eastern Catholics during his time as archbishop of Buenos Aires. In 2000, Bergoglio
13566-559: Was on his way to celebrate the Spring Day . He passed by a church to go to confession , and was inspired by the priest. Bergoglio studied at the archdiocesan seminary , Inmaculada Concepción Seminary , in Villa Devoto , Buenos Aires, and, after three years, entered the Society of Jesus as a novice on 11 March 1958. Bergoglio has said that, as a young seminarian, he had a crush on a girl he met and briefly doubted about continuing
13685-405: Was the new pope's first meeting with a head of state, and there was speculation that the two were mending their relations. Página/12 removed their controversial articles about Bergoglio, written by Horacio Verbitsky , from their web page, as a result of this change. Before Javier Milei 's election to the Argentine presidency, he was very critical of Francis, describing him as "imbecile" and
13804-559: Was the only church official to reconcile with Jerónimo Podestá , a former bishop who had been suspended as a priest after opposing the Argentine Revolution military dictatorship in 1972. He defended Podestá's wife from Vatican attacks on their marriage. That same year, Bergoglio said the Argentine Catholic Church needed "to put on garments of public penance for the sins committed during the years of
13923-535: Was to increase the church's presence in the slums of Buenos Aires. Under his leadership, the number of priests assigned to work in the slums doubled. This work led to him being called the "Slum Bishop." Early in his tenure as archbishop, Bergoglio sold the archdiocese's bank shares and moved its accounts to regular international banks. This ended the church's high spending habits, which had nearly led to bankruptcy, and enforced stricter fiscal discipline. On 6 November 1998, while remaining archbishop of Buenos Aires, he
14042-486: Was understood by early Christians within the cultural milieu of the period as a relationship that created a community based on trust, instead of a set of mental beliefs or feelings of the heart. Numerous commentators discuss the results of faith. Some believe that true faith results in good works, while others believe that while faith in Jesus brings eternal life, it does not necessarily result in good works. Regardless of
14161-412: Was valued highest in attaining the truth, and sacred scriptures, reason, or faith in a teacher were considered less valuable sources of authority. As important as faith was, it was a mere initial step to the path to wisdom and enlightenment , and was obsolete or redefined at the final stage of that path. While faith in Buddhism does not imply "blind faith", Buddhist practice nevertheless requires
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