Following Pope Francis' death, Craig Considine, a senior lecturer in sociology at Rice University, scholar of religion and interfaith dialogue and expert on Catholic-Muslim relations, is available to discuss the late pontiff's life and legacy.
Considine, a prolific author who has written extensively about religious dialogue, said what set Francis' pontificate apart was his ability to make the Catholic Church more representative of its members, his focus on interfaith relations and his dedication to human rights and the plight of refugees. In 2013 when Francis became pontiff, Considine said it was an unprecedented time, not just for the church but for the region and the world.
"Of course, Pope Benedict had resigned, which was unheard of at the time. Pope Francis was the first South American pope in history, and this really shook up the church in a good way," Considine said. "During his papacy, the church became more representative of its actual members as Pope Francis made a sincere effort to reach out to Africa and to Asia and to Latin America, which are three of the epicenters of the Catholic Church."
Considine said very early in Francis' papacy, it was clear that the late pontiff was dedicated to interfaith relations and supporting refugees. During Francis' first visit outside of Italy in 2013, he visited Lampedusa, off the southern coast of Sicily, when the island was dealing with a historic refugee crisis that included many refugees dying on their journey from North Africa to Italy.
"Pope Francis went there and called on not just Catholics but all of humanity to care about what was happening in Lampedusa," Considine said. "He called it the graveyard of Europe. And there in Lampedusa he provided one of the ultimate slogans of his pontificate, which is overcoming the culture of indifference, this idea that not just Catholics but people around the world have stopped caring about their fellow human beings."
In 2019, Francis became the first pope to visit the Arabian Peninsula.
"He visited the UAE, and there he signed a document on human fraternity, which is arguably the most important interfaith document created by the Catholic Church since Nostra Aetate in 1965," Considine said.
Francis' visit to Iraq in 2021 was another historic part of his papacy, Considine said.
"In 2021, the pope went to a war-torn Mosul, which had been ravaged by ISIS, and helped to rebuild that city, bring new life and spirit and really took the persecuted Christians under his wing and welcomed them back to Iraq," Considine said. "He held a mass and brought Christians and Muslims together in the call of interfaith harmony. And that's one of the ultimate legacies of his pontificate is that he did more than any pope in recent memory to promote Christian and Muslim harmony in particular."
Considine can also discuss the next steps when it comes to electing a new pope.
"After a pope's passing, the College of Cardinals lock themselves away in the famous Sistine Chapel, and they sit there and deliberate and vote secret ballots for the next pope," Considine said. "When the smoke above the Vatican is black, that means the College of Cardinals does not have a new pope, and when it turns white, it means a selection has been made."
Considine has been on the faculty at Rice since 2015. He is known for his contributions to interfaith dialogue and his acclaimed scholarly works, including "The Humanity of Muhammad: A Christian View" (Blue Dome Press 2020) and "People of the Book: Prophet Muhammad's Encounters with Christians" (Hurst/Oxford University Press 2021).
A sought-after public speaker, Considine has addressed audiences at various universities, conferences and community events worldwide. His expert commentary has been featured by national and international news outlets, and he regularly engages with the press. He holds a doctorate in sociology from Trinity College Dublin, a Master of Science in international relations from Royal Holloway, University of London and a Bachelor of Arts in international relations from American University. His latest book, "Beyond Dialogue: Building Bonds Between Christians and Muslims" was published in November 2024 by Polity Press.
