Gazing at Our World with God's Eyes of Mercy: Pope Francis' Theological Vision

In this article an attempt is made to examine the wellsprings of Pope Francis’s life to provide a framework for understanding his theological vision. One can find four striking  similarities between the life and mission of St Francis of Assisi and Pope Francis who assumed the name Francis immediately after he was  elected Pope. St Francis of Assisi embraced a life of poverty, attempted to renew the Church, loved everything in nature as his brothers and sisters and entered into inter-religious dialogue with Muslims. These four traits can be seen in large measure in the life  and mission of Pope Francis.  Pope’s recognition of his self-identity as mission finds expression in his life and his vision of the Church  and his leadership of the universal Church. Pope Francis is a ‘poor pastor’ in the image and likeness of God’s Poor Son, Jesus and he is deeply humble and aware of his own sinfulness against the light of God’s overwhelming mercy. His theological vision can be summarized in his own words, “God does not provide arguments which explain everything; rather, his response is that of an accompanying presence, a history of goodness which touches every story of suffering and opens up a ray of light.”  Pope Francis “experiences the love of the Most Holy Trinity” with his eyes fixed on “the most merciful  gaze of Jesus.