Description
Book SynopsisUnderstanding Pope Francis: Message, Media, andAudienceoffers several chapters which illuminate the often misunderstood, but widely discussed, leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis. With 1.3 billion baptized members living throughout every continent, communication by and about him is a subject deserving to be understood. As technology makes the “global village” predicted by Marshall McLuhan more apparent, the complexities of leading an organization across geographic boundaries with differing ideas about culture and governance present great need to be nuanced, indeed cautious, about messages communicated across diverse media platforms and consumed by divergent audiences. This book lay bare the messages Pope Francis produces, the way that varying platforms/media present those messages, and the complex ways in which audiences formulate their interpretations.
Trade Review"Blaney and his assembled authors provide an adroit, incisive and insightful analysis of the myriad dimensions of Pope Francis and his evangelical message for the Catholic Church. From his social media presence to his social policy commentary, this book eloquently adds to our understanding of religious rhetoric and the importance of message fidelity and ecumenical messaging in promoting the faith to believers and nonbelievers alike. This belongs on the shelf for all scholars of religious studies."
-- Joseph M. Valenzano III, University of Dayton
“Though some media may have framed Pope Francis simply as a liberal reformer, a closer look at his rhetoric reveals unexpected complexity and nuance. Blaney has captured this nuance by assembling scholars who approach the Pope’s communication from a diverse, yet cohesive, set of perspectives. Contributors analyze the rhetorical tensions in Pope Francis’ discourse, discuss his embrace of contemporary issues, unpack his representations in the media, and illustrate the ways in which he uses social media to develop a brand and respond to crisis. One of the real strengths of the book is that contributors bring an unusual variety of backgrounds and methodologies to the study of Pope Francis’ discourse. Scholars of rhetoric, religion, politics, leadership, and related fields will find rich analysis. For me, this is a book I will return to.”
-- LeAnn Brazeal, Missouri State University
“Joseph Blaney has assembled a valuable body of scholarly essays opening new conversations about the transformative leader of one of our oldest and most consequential institutions. Rather than view Pope Francis through the secular prism favored by contemporary media, the authors endeavor to unfold his rhetoric and thereby explore the moral themes of his papacy. The light they shine brilliantly reflects hitherto unseen facets of this most remarkable religious leader.”
-- Matthew M. Reavy, University of Scranton
Table of ContentsTable of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction : Pope Francis: An Open Book for Increasingly Closed Minds
Joseph R. Blaney
Part I: Message
Chapter 1: Navigating through Ecclesiastical Landmines: Pope Francis’ Rhetoric in a Church on the Verge of Civil War
Anthony M. Wachs
Chapter 2: ‘We Have Defaulted on a Promissory Note’: Pope Francis I’s Concatenate Circulation during His 2015 Visit to the United States
Sara A. Mehltretter Drury
Chapter 3: Building a Future of Freedom: Pope Francis’s Mobilization of Diverse Prophetic Rhetorical Traditions in His Address to Congress
Daniel P. Overton
Chapter 4:Pope Francis, Twitter, and Collective Identity: Religious Branding of Crisis
Alison N. Novak and M. Olguta Vilceanu
Chapter 5: Pope Francis’ Environmental Messaging and Moral Foundations of ‘Care/Harm’ in Environmental Crises
Mary Beth Deline
Chapter 6: Has Anyone Wept?’ Pope Francis at Lampedusa: Migration, Indifference, and Pastoral Pastiche as Equipment for Forgiving
Christopher J. Oldenburg
Chapter 7: The Crisis Leadership of Pope Francis in a Local-Global Pandemic
R. Tyler Spradley
Part II: Medium
Chapter 8: The Media’s Shaping of Pope Francis’ Interview in America, The National Catholic Weekly
N. Benton Parish
Chapter 9: Pope Francis and Spiritual Leadership: His Guidance Through Social Media in Times of Crisis
Juan Narbona
Chapter 10: Papal Copyright: Textual Authority and Media Distribution in Pope Francis' Pontificate
Andrew Ventimiglia
Part III: Audience
Chapter 11: The Dynamics of Moral Inclusion and Exclusion in Reactions to Pope Francis’ Messages
Eric D. Wesselmann., Joseph P. Zompetti, and Anna R. George
Conclusion: Re-Framing Pope Francis: The Scholarly Audience Has a Mind of Its Own
Joseph R. Blaney
