by Libby Hyde

It has always been a tradition for the Pope to say mass on Holy Thursday in the Basilica of St. John Lateran. Breaking the norm for a Pope, Francis decided to say mass at Casa del Marmo, a Roman juvenile detention center. Furthermore, he washed the feet of two women, one being a Muslim convict.

This gesture was quite scandalous, considering that it departed from church rules that restrict the Holy Thursday ritual to men. No pope has ever washed the feet of a woman during the Holy Thursday ritual. Instead, they have chosen to wash the feet of 12 priests representing the 12 apostles of Jesus.

With a vision of love and service instead of judgement, Pope Francis is exactly what the Church needs in this time of controversy and turmoil.

In light of a recent interview with Pope Francis that was originally published in America magazine, there has been conflict within and outside the church on whether or not Pope Francis’s views and teachings should be celebrated or questioned.

In the extensive interview, Pope Francis wisely assessed that the Catholic Church has recently been obsessed with controversial issues such as abortion, contraception and gay marriage while putting less emphasis on more important issues such as helping the poor and taking care of those in need.

“It is not necessary to talk about these issues all the time,” Francis said. “The dogmatic and moral teachings of the church are not all equivalent. The church’s pastoral ministry cannot be obsessed with the transmission of a disjointed multitude of doctrines to be imposed insistently.”

Although these issues of social politics are important, he is focused on more important ones that directly relate to the teachings of Jesus in the gospels.

Pope Francis is exactly what the Catholic Church needs right now. In a time of great movement for rights concerning gay marriage and women’s issues, the Church has experienced losses of followers due to the Church’s strict teachings on these issues. Pope Francis is bringing the focus of the church back to loving and serving those in need, making the Catholic Church seem more attractive.

This is not to say that these issues are not important, rather, at this time, is it more important to assess more urgent issues, because it is the job of the church to care for the vulnerable. This teaching of serving the poor also more closely follows the teachings of the gospel.

Though this interview does not change church doctrine or teaching, it has changed the tone of the Church and immediately makes the teachings of the church seem more inviting to a wider spectrum of people.

He isn’t worrying about small issues, rather, he is working toward the greater good. His words of wisdom should be celebrated, and they should be moral teachings which we strive to live by, because as he said, “I am no one to judge.”