On March 26, 2019, BBC News posted an article by James Reynolds titled, “Pope's ring-kissing controversy not what it seems”. In this brief article, Reynolds describes and analyzes the events that took place surrounding the viral video of Pope Francis pulling his hand away from the some of the people he met during a receiving line after mass in Loreto, Italy. In this specific instance, the news media frames Pope Francis in a positive light by offering possible justifications for his actions. This correlates to Dr. Nardella’s lecture in which he discusses Pope Francis’ communication strategies and the media’s interpretation and reaction to said strategies.
After the video in question went viral on Twitter, many conservative Catholics were upset because the people in the clip were denied the chance to pay their respects to Pope Francis by kissing his papal ring. Other more progressive members of the Catholic Church argued that Francis did so in order to encourage people to actually engage with him. Unlike other news pieces that reprimanded the Pope’s behavior, this BBC article attempted to give more context to the short, viral clip and to explain reasons as to why this action may have taken place. Some of Reynold’s (2019) possible justifications for Pope Francis pulling his hand away include that he may have been “in a hurry to get to the end of the receiving line” or that he “may not enjoy his ring being kissed”. By providing logical and reasonable explanations for the Pope’s behavior, this BBC news article frames the Pope and the Church in a positive light. Their speculations as to his motivation for removing his hand are familiar, understandable, and help to remind their readers that although Pope Francis is the Vicar of Christ, he is also an ordinary person.
This idea that media outlets, and Pope Francis himself, want to emphasize his normality rather than divinity to the public was a topic heavily discussed by Dr. Nardella in his lecture on Pope Francis’ various communication strategies. When asked about this particular ring-kissing incident, Dr. Nardella said that while we may never know the true reason for Pope Francis’ actions, it can be inferred that they were in part due to health concerns, as stated by His Holiness and spokespeople from the Vatican, but also as attempts to destroy the wall of supremacy and superiority that lies between the Pope and the faithful. This is one of Pope Francis’ main communicative goals that was discussed in Dr. Nardella’s lecture. By justifying Pope Francis’ actions, BBC News frames this minor controversy in a positive and compassionate light.
Reynolds, J. (March 26, 2019). Pope's ring-kissing controversy not what it seems. Retrieved from: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-47708978
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