Robert Francis Prevost turned the first pope from the United States on Thursday (May 8, 2025), selecting the papal identify Leo XIV after cardinals from round the world elected him as the 267th pope of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics. This was following Pope Francis’ dying on April 21. After a long time of conservative management of the Roman Catholic Church that culminated in the papacy of Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis, the first Latin American chief of the church, had sought to advertise inclusion and take care of the marginalised over doctrinal purity.
Against this backdrop, I watched the film The Two Popes (2019) on OTT. Taking us behind the Vatican partitions, the film rewinds to the last days of Pope Benedict XVI, the place the conservative Pope Benedict XVI and the liberal future Pope Francis should discover frequent floor to forge a brand new path for the Catholic Church. Inspired by true occasions, the film reveals a fictitious dialogue between the two popes. Though their views are poles aside, there’s house for an open dialogue.
After the Vatican leaks scandal marred the Catholic Church in controversy, Jorge Mario Bergoglio (later often called Pope Francis) submitted his resignation as the Archbishop. Bergoglio, who was additionally in line to develop into Pope, had acquired the second-highest votes after Pope Benedict. Perceiving Bergoglio’s resignation as a menace to the Church, Pope Benedict invitations him to the Palace of Castel Gandolfo. At the citadel, the two popes converse about homosexuality, communion of the divorced, and extra. “You have been one of my harshest critics, there’s a lot of competition for that title”, Pope Benedict says to Bergoglio, as their views by no means align.
Pope Benedict asks Bergoglio about him brazenly giving sacraments to those that are out of communion, to the divorced. Bergoglio says, “Oh, I believe giving communion is not a reward for the virtuous, it is food for the starving”. Pope Benedict then questions him, whether or not his private beliefs matter greater than what the Church has taught for lots of of years. To that, Bergoglio cites scriptures, “I came to all sinners”. They have a backwards and forwards on the concept of mercy. Bergoglio has the last phrase: “Mercy is dynamite that blows down walls.” Instead of taking offence, Pope Benedict says, “You have an answer for everything… you are far too clever”.
In many scenes reminiscent of these, the film confirmed these two non secular leaders with opposing views navigating one another’s ideas, although they basically disagreed with one another. They have been listening, difficult, reflecting, and even turning into associates as a consequence of the dialogue, apparently.
Dialogue in Indian academia
Dialogue has now develop into a rarity in the Indian context, even in universities and academia. Universities are speculated to be areas that foster essential pondering, the place concepts ought to conflict and develop, the place college students and academics query and disagree, however nonetheless speak and be taught.
Far from this superb image, there was loads of speak about the lack of educational freedom in India. Over the previous 10 years, India has plummeted on the educational freedom index ranks, based on the “Free to Think 2024” annual report printed by the Scholars at Risk (SAR) Academic Freedom Monitoring Project. According to the Academic Freedom Index, India now ranks as “completely restricted”, its lowest rating since the mid-Forties.
The Supreme Court on May 2, 2025, allowed a Dalit Ph.D. scholar and Left scholar chief Ramadas Ok.S. to be reinstated in the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) whereas decreasing his two-year suspension for allegedly indulging in actions which have been “not in the interest of the nation”. In a discover that was despatched to Mr. Ramdas dated March 7, TISS referred to his function in screening the documentary ‘Ram Ke Naam’ on January 26 as a “mark of dishonour and protest” towards the Ram Mandir idol consecration in Ayodhya.
In one other occasion, Vikrant Singh, a Ph.D. scholar who had acquired a termination letter from IIT Guwahati, was reinstated in the institute after the Gauhati High Court acknowledged that the institute had unjustly dealt with Mr. Singh’s case. The institute alleged that Mr. Singh had been stirring up controversies and bother in IIT Guwahati, since the time he joined. The courtroom stated that Mr. Singh was not given a correct listening to, and the institute didn’t share with him the paperwork of allegations towards him; therefore, rules of pure justice have been ignored.
The courts reinstating college students like Mr. Ramdas and Mr. Singh is welcome. It would, nevertheless, be superb if universities set the priority by creating areas the place college students can maintain a dialogue with the administration, college and amongst themselves with out rancour.
Published – May 15, 2025 06:57 pm IST
