3 Ways You Can Use Pope Francis to Lead People Back to the Church

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It was only a couple months after Pope Francis was elected in 2013 that people began talking about the “Francis effect.” The media showered attention on him. Facebook affirmed he was the most mentioned name on their website—more than any celebrity such as Justin Bieber or Taylor Swift. On Twitter, where Pope Francis has gained over 7 million followers, his tweets are now retweeted (i.e., shared) more times on average than the tweets of any other world leader—even more than the President of the United States.

The “Francis effect” extends beyond social media. A recent Pew survey found that among U.S. adults, roughly seven-in-ten express a favorable view of Pope Francis, with about 90% of Catholics giving him a favorable rating. One viral online article carried the title “Pope Francis Made My Mom Stop Hating Catholicism” and it explained how the pontiff’s example smoothed over a lifetime of anti-Catholic prejudices.

Another person shared the following story:

“Most of my extended family members aren’t practicing Catholics. But last year at my sister’s wedding, several family members approached me wanting to talk about Pope Francis, having heard so much about him in the news…I had the joyful confidence to share with them how Pope Francis’ moving gestures remind me of all the wonderful charitable works of service the Church provides for millions of people around the world. In the end, I think they left feeling warmer toward the Catholic Church than they had in a long time. And that’s a great place to start!”

Pope Francis is, as Bishop Barron has described, “the bomb.”

Which is great news if you have a fallen-away family member or friend, who has drifted from the Church. Even if your family member or friend has a low perception of the Catholic Church, chances are he still has a high opinion of Pope Francis.

If he’s like most Americans, he sees Pope Francis as a positive change for the Church. And if he’s a young person, he likely gets behind Pope Francis’ emphasis on mercy, serving the poor, and protecting the environment. In fact, the most common words used to describe Pope Francis—compassionate, humble, and open-minded—are all traits that especially appeal to young Millennials.

So how can you use the “Francis effect” to help lead fallen-away Catholics back to the church? Here are a few practical tips:

First, use Pope Francis to initiate conversations about faith. You might say, “I’ve been wondering, even though you haven’t been to Mass in a while, what do you think about Pope Francis?” You can then follow up with more questions, drilling deeper into what he likes or doesn’t like about the Pope. This will yield valuable information because his answers will likely reveal his own problems and concerns with Catholicism.

For example, if he says he really admires the way that Pope Francis cares for the poor, he may be insinuating that the Catholics he knows don’t exhibit that same compassion, and he’s turned off by this discrepancy. Therefore, discovering what he likes and dislikes about Pope Francis can help identify his major stumbling blocks to returning to the Church.

A second strategy is to give your child a good biography of Pope Francis, such as Austen Ivereigh’s The Great Reformer: Francis and the Making of a Radical Pope (Henry Holt, 2014) or perhaps his book-length interview titled A Big Heart Open to God: A Conversation with Pope Francis (HarperOne, 2013).

You don’t want to come across as proselytizing, as if you’re saying, “Here, read this so I can convert you!” Instead, as with the previous tip, simply pass on the book and say, “Hey, I found this great book on Pope Francis, and since everyone is talking about him, I’d be curious to hear what you think.” As before, listen carefully to his reaction to Pope Francis and the book, because chances are it will reveal his feelings toward (and his struggles with) Catholicism.

Finally, you might find and share a good Pope Francis quote. There are plenty on Pope Francis’ Twitter account, as well as the Facebook page Pope Tweets. As before, don’t just send the quote by itself, which may come across as passive-aggressive proselytizing. Instead, send the quote along with a comment that says, “What do you think about this? And what do you think about Pope Francis, in general?”

We Catholics have been given an extraordinary opportunity. Pope Francis has drawn the world’s attention to the Church. It’s one of the few times in recent memory that the world is talking about Catholicism, and not just because of scandal.

So let’s take advantage of this time and use Pope Francis as a real pontifex, a bridge by which people can journey back to the Church.
 


 
This is an excerpt from my big new project, RETURN: How To Draw Your Child Back to the Church, which you can find at ReturnGameplan.com. There are only a couple days left to get the special launch-week pricing and three special bonuses. Click here to learn more!
 
 
RETURN