Is Pope Francis’s Social Teaching Post-Cardijn?

Abstract

Pope Francis’s two social encyclicals and his addresses to Cardijn movements reveal that he reinterprets and goes beyond the see-judge-act method. The pastoral spiral and the Ignatian pedagogical paradigm better describe the dynamics of his social teaching. Furthermore, reading Francis solely through a see-judge-act lens obscures important aspects of his teaching. Elements of his post-Cardijn approach include: a wholistic and inclusive approach to experience; respect for the agency of all; seeking understanding through encounter, listening and dialogue; flexible and open-ended processes; the integration of spirituality at every stage; and the use of new language that communicates effectively with contemporary pluralist societies.