Pope Francis is showing his followers that although Catholics should follow the Church’s original teachings, the Church should also adapt to today’s changing world.

Pope Francis, the first Jesuit priest to hold the papacy, has held tight to his ideals. He is saying goodbye to some of the old ways and customs – foregoing the bullet proof Mercedes, the jewels and much of the royal papal regalia – causing delight and excitement around the world.

“That is the purpose of our mission: to identify the material and immaterial needs of the people and try to meet them as we can,” said Pope Francis at a recent press conference with La Republica, the largest Italian daily newspaper.

Pope Francis explains how he wants a “modern” church to lift the spirits of and give hope to the poor, young, and elderly.

For a long time, many wondered whether or not the Catholic Church was still relevant. Morals have become increasingly liberal; the chasm between society and the Church seems deeper than ever.

Homosexuality, for example, has always been a major dividing issue in the Catholic Church. There is a constant clash between proponents of LGBT rights and those of religion. So when the Pope took a softer stance on homosexuality, the world was abuzz.

“If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” said Pope Francis

It came as an even bigger surprise when the Pope said that there are homosexuals in the Vatican. Although he still believes that the practice of homosexuality is immoral, he also believes that every homosexual should be treated with love and respect.

“Having the Pope make such a scandalous claim, in my opinion, shows how versatile he is. Being homosexual doesn’t make you any less religious and loved by God than being straight. God’s love is all that counts and I’m glad Pope Francis is spreading the message.” said sophomore Christopher Chamorro.

In a very short time, Pope Francis earned a lot of admiration and respect from Christians around the world for espousing more Christian values of charity and tolerance. This impacts not only his followers, but also many who used to be Catholics. He is inspiring them to re-embrace their faith and return to Mass once again.

“It’s incredibly inspiring and he’s really speaking to people in a new way,” said Reverend James Martin, a Jesuit priest and the culture editor of America magazine.

“They feel more welcome, they feel like the pope understands them, they enjoy his way of speaking about the faith, they feel energized and this includes young people, gays and lesbians, women, elderly people even who say that they’ve never felt this way about a pope or about the church,” said Martin.

The Catholic Church has survived over 1000 years of war, chaos, and change. Pope Francis is a force for change. But instead of fire and brimstone, he uses love and acceptance to win over parishioners.

Pope Francis has created a whole new direction for the future of the Catholic Church. He is an example of a civil society: fair, loving, and respectful.