Bogoslovska smotra, Vol. 95 No. 5, 2025.
Pregledni rad
https://doi.org/10.53745/bs.95.5.1
Was the Pope Francis Really a Postcolonial Pope?: Catholic Decoloniality as an Alternative Interpretative Framework
Piotr Kopiec
orcid.org/0000-0002-0581-0737
; Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski Jana Pawła II, Katedra Teologii Protestanckiej, Lublin, Polska
Sažetak
Some observers of the pontificate of the Pope Francis define it as determined by postcolonial critique. However, such opinions carry the risk of a conceptual mess, given that postcolonialism is a wide-term burden with methodological heterogeneity. The Bishop of Rome is being criticised for his utterances, raising hopes in some and doubts in others. In fact, he is the Church’s leader who has to balance between vocal and sometimes uncompromising groups of believers who differently define their Catholic faith. The Pope’s alleged postcolonialism is one of the strongest causes of such ambiguity. An accurate reading of this teaching needs a confrontation with a summary of a multidisciplinary discussion on postcolonial theory. Putting them together allows one to argue that the label of »postcolonial Pope« corresponds less to this pontificate than the »decolonial Pope«. In other words, the theory of decoloniality seems to be more relevant in explaining Pope Francis’ teaching on colonialism and its aftermath. The article aims to argue that Pope Francis is a »decolonial« rather than a »postcolonial«. Even though the difference between the two seems slight, it may cause severe epistemic shortcomings and abuses. The paper applies Walter Mignolo’s concept of decoloniality to explain Bergolio’s stance and juxtaposes it with a brief summary of postcolonial theory. Finally, it exemplifies Francis’s approach to colonialism/neocolonialism, considering two fields of his teaching: inculturation and ideological colonisation. Literary analysis is the research method used in this article.
Ključne riječi
postcolonialism; decoloniality; Pope Francis; inculturation; ideological colonialism; Querida Amazonia
Hrčak ID:
346357
URI
Datum izdavanja:
16.4.2026.
Posjeta: 401 *