The Rhetoric of Pope Francis: Critical Mercy and Conversion for the Twenty-First Century

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What is it about the rhetoric of one the most influential and powerful religious leaders in the world and in historyPope Francisthat is so engaging and yet so challenging to the Church writ large, the American Congress, the news media, and the world The Rhetoric of Pope Francis: Critical Mercy and Conversion for the Twenty-first Century provides extensive insight into this question through a close, in-depth rhetorical analysis of Pope Franciss visual, spatial, tactile, written, and oral discourse. This analysis reveals how the interrelated topoi of illness, space, mercy, and conversion converge to articulate Franciss vision for the Church. Under Francis, the Catholic Churchs virtue of mercy gets renewed and redeployed to papal, pastoral, and political sites for the purpose of conversion. Each chapter identifies several of Franciss dominant rhetorical strategies. These pope tropes take the form of existing and widely held Catholic beliefs that, while stable, still invite interpretation, disputation, and open dialogue. Studying Franciss various discourses provides us with an exemplary paradigm from which we can learn much about faith, humility, love, and papal rhetorics transformative capacity to help us live more compassionate lives.

Reviews

This is a tour de force for understanding papal rhetoric in general, and the discourse of Pope Francis in particular. It offers a nuanced account of Francis rhetorical techniques when addressing the Church, media, Americans, etc. As such, Oldenburg should be commended for undertaking this monumental, unique, and timely treatise. -- Joseph P. Zompetti, Illinois State University
The Rhetoric of Pope Francis: Critical Mercy and Conversion for the Twenty-First Century is a must have for scholars interested in religious communication and papal rhetoric. It brings to light many of the rhetorical changes Pope Francis has brought to the Catholic Church, while also highlighting the practical implications of these changes on a church devoted in word and deed to mercy. This treatment of a Pope who has made such an impact on the Catholic Church demonstrates why Pope Francis should garner the attention of rhetoricians and communication scholars in much the same way his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, did. -- Joseph M. Valenzano III, University of Dayton
Christopher J. Oldenburg deftly demonstrates the linguistic cunning and competence of the first pope selected for the new century. This book functions in part as apologia on behalf of an unconventional pope and in part as critical analysis of an institution in need of substantial reform. The book reads as a provocative appraisal in which Oldenburg honors the grand narrative of Christian thought while investigating the rhetorical practices of one of the most formidable global orators of our time. -- Daniel S. Brown Jr., Grove City College
Since his election in 2013, Pope Francis has proved himself a master rhetorician of both word and deed, image and gesture. Through careful and informed analysis, Christopher J. Oldenburg explains the rhetorical power behind Franciss reinvention of the papacy. This book will likely become the standard starting place for future study of Franciss persuasive style. -- Paul Lynch, Saint Louis University
Oldenburg offers a rhetorical analysis grounded in a sacramental semiotics of mercy, exploring how Pope Francis makes Gods grace visible in the world through material signs of space, nonverbal actions, and physical artifacts. Both scholarly and accessible, this study makes a refreshingly constructive contribution to religious communication scholarship in the Catholic intellectual tradition. -- Janie Fritz, Duquesne University

Author Bio

Christopher J. Oldenburg is associate professor of rhetoric in the Department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies at Illinois College.