Pope John Essay

Submitted By hollyqt
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Pope John XXIII remarkably revitalized and reformed the Catholic tradition, however, his revitalization of the Catholic Church was more prominent and had a mammoth impact on the Christian tradition. He revitalized the Church, as he was a model for Christians and a model of discipleship. Also, through his works of social justice and peace as well as his ecumenical initiatives, Pope John XXIII revitalized the Christian tradition immensely.

Pope John revitalized the Christian tradition, as he was a model for Christians and a model of discipleship. John always made a point of meeting and fraternizing with non-Catholics, and, as he states, “anyone who does not call himself a Christian but who really is so because he does good.” This consequentially bridged the gap between different churches. He encouraged actions and behaviours amongst those that followed his example in a way that was true to Christian teachings. People were becoming more connected with the church because their leader was a real model of discipleship, embodying all that Jesus taught about. “So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them” (Gen1: 27) truly portrays Pope John. This also highlights the belief in the Nature of God because God’s image was one of love and compassion, which is significantly depicted in Pope John. He encouraged people to live out gospel values just like Jesus, who is representative of God, through his radical approach, helping house and be a spiritual guide for Jews and other Christians (Orthodox) during WWII. Therefore, it is evident that Pope John was a model for Christians and a true model of discipleship through his actions. As a consequence his revitalization of the Catholic Church had a profound impact on Christianity.

Pope John XXIII also revitalized the church through his works of social justice and peace. The impact of his social justice and peace initiatives in Christianity is evident in the increased communications across people and nations after the release of the encyclical Pacem en Terris. This encyclical letter he issued elaborated Catholic teaching on the matter of peace in a sustained way. It also encouraged changed views towards the arms race, and specifically the excommunication of Castro had a large impact on the people of Cuba. As a predominantly Catholic country, the public rejection of Fidel Castro by the head of the Catholic Church made way for greater criticisms against Castro and his political antics. Pope John stood to prove Castro as guilty of not living out Christian values. A quote from his encyclical letter ‘Pacem in Terris’, “God created man in his own image and likeness” also portrays the nature of God and how Pope John demonstrated acts of social justice and peace in his actions like that of Jesus who was symbolic of God. He tried to reach out to people the best he could, for instance, he tried to be visible in Rome by visiting parishes, hospitals and schools. These works of social justice significantly link to the Christian belief in the nature of God and that Pope John who constantly displayed compassion as representative of God’s image. Also, he often visited the Regina Coeli prison in Rome simply stating to the prisoners: “Since yo`u cannot come to me, I will come to you.” Evidently, Pope John XXIII had a wondrous impact on Christianity and to a great extent revitalized the Christian tradition through his works of social justice and peace.

Pope John’s ecumenical initiatives to a great extent revitalized the Christian tradition. His Decree on Ecumenism highlighting his desire for unity within Christianity was
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