Zygmunt Bauman the Polish-born philosopher who wrote about “fluid
modernity” said this in an interview with Vatican newspaper
“L’Osservatore Romano.”
“I am in awe at everything Francis is doing: I
believe his pontificate gives not just the Catholic Church but the
entire humanity a chance.” This is according to Polish-born sociologist
Zygmunt Bauman, who coined the phrase “liquid modernity”.
In an interview with Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano,
Bauman said “Jorge Mario Bergoglio’s rejection of legalism and the
ability he has to touch people’s hearts are reminiscent of John XXIII.”
“The current Pope has shown a fearless attitude: I’m thinking of what he
did in Lampedusa and what he said about the outcasts of our globalised
world,” Bauman said.
“Francis speaks to the spirituality of our
times: followers of the “personal God” are not particularly interested
in the moral prescriptions given by representatives of religious
institutions but want to find a meaning to their fragmented individual
existences. They are still awaiting for the Evangel, the original term
for “good news””.
“I am personally very hopeful and anxious to see
the future developments of this pontificate,” Bauman said. “I have been
struck by the emphasis Bergoglio places on dialogue: a real dialogue,
not just the kind you get by speaking to people whop think more or less
like you. It’s when you compare ideas with individuals who see things
from a completely different point of view that dialogue becomes
interesting; in this case, the different sides may very well be driven
to change their personal opinions.”
“This is the kind of exchange we are in urgent need of today, because
we are called to deal with problems that have far-reaching
consequences, so we don’t have any ready-made solutions: just think of
the divide between the rich and a vast part of the world’s population
that still lives in poverty; or of the need to put an end to the
indiscriminate exploitation of the planet’s resources and to find an
alternative to a clearly unsustainable development model.”