What is the role of a Pope in modern religion?

[cacian]

What is the exact role of a Pope and why does not the actual one , Pope Francis is the 266th and current Pope and sovereign of the Vatican City State, speak a word of English?

[Danik 2016]

Trying to answer the easier one of your questions. Pope Francis speaks some English, though it is a difficult language for him.

https://spiritualfriendship.org/2014/02/21/pope-francis-speaking-the-language-of-the-heart/

[cacian]

Danik thank you for the link. I was just hoping that such big figure in the public eye could not communicate in the language of the many is a bit disappointing to say the least. I mean he has been to Dublin recently and had to address a huge English speaking crowd in Italian and I find rather lacking in appeal.
One is supposed to represent his followers. It is not who you are but what you do.
I turned the news on and I was about to listen to him but then I noticed he was going on in italian and there was an interpreter so there I turned it off. I could not be bothered.
What does he do with the time he has got? I don't get it sorry.
If you have thousands of followers around the globe and who are most likely to understand English the least he can do is to learn it . Just an observation ;)

[MANICHAEAN]

He is fluent in Spanish and Italian to my knowledge.

The need to know English? There is a kind of English person who when travelling south of Calais addresses the inhabitants by either raising the volume or speaking English slowly. Mind you, many French also wrongly presume everyone should speak French, to the extent that there are instances of the official banning of the use of " mots de Anglais."

[MANICHAEAN]

Double post gremlin.

[Danik 2016]

Quite a refreshing comment, specially coming from a cosmopolitan Brit!:)

[MANICHAEAN]

Luckily Danik, the Brits don't take themselves as seriously as we did in the past. End of empire and all that!!

An interesting anecdote I recall though. The British Minister initially in charge of attending negotiations to join the EU was obliged to go to Brussels on many occasions, but always took his own sandwiches. But we seem to have taken a tangential turn from language to cuisine, so I won't pursue it!!

[JHBushart]

What is the exact role of a Pope and why does not the actual one , Pope Francis is the 266th and current Pope and sovereign of the Vatican City State, speak a word of English?

Interesting questions. His role, as the Vicar of Christ and as pastor of the entire Church (which includes every country and language), is to exercise full, supreme, and universal power over the whole Church. (see CCC 882) As you know, the role of the Pope has been performed for two millinea, both for tens of centuries prior to and after the invention of the English language. I'm certain, however, that if there were an English speaking traveler present at the birth of the Church at Pentecost, he would have heard Peter's words in his own language, as did everyone else. :wink5: