March 7-13, 2013, Current Events Lesson Plan
Current Event:
After only two days of conclave, the College of Cardinals elected Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina as the 266th pope to serve the Roman Catholic Church. He is the first non-European elected pope in more than 1,000 years and the first South American ever. Before his election, Bergoglio had been the archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina’s capital and largest city. He will take the name of Francis, honoring Francis of Assisi, a saint who combined an absolute dedication to poverty with a joyful affirmation of creation. Pope Francis is the first Roman Catholic pope of that name. He is also the first pope to be a Jesuit (a member of the Society of Jesus). Pope Francis is considered a conservative and an intellectual. Experts reported that poverty is one of his greatest areas of concern.
Objective:
The pope is the head of the Roman Catholic Church and its 1.2 billion members around the world. The pope can make laws for the entire church. He appoints cardinals, appoints or removes bishops, establishes and divides dioceses (church districts headed by bishops), and approves new religious orders (brotherhoods or sisterhoods). He also rules Vatican City, the smallest independent country in the world. Roman Catholics believe that Jesus established the office of pope with the apostle Peter in the first century A.D. Except for brief periods, there has been an unbroken line of popes since Peter. The pope is elected for life. He can resign, but he cannot be deposed (forcibly removed from office). The Behind the Headlines news story and related World Book articles explore Pope Francis, the papacy, and the Roman Catholic Church.
Words to know:
• Argentina
• Benedict XVI
• Cardinal
• Christianity
• Jesuit
• Jesus Christ
• Pope
• Roman Catholic Church
• Saint Francis of Assisi
• Saint Peter’s Basilica
• Sistine Chapel
• Vatican City
Discussion Topics:
1. Ask your students what they know about the election of a new pope. (They might say that only cardinals under the age of 80 may vote for the new pope; voting continues until one man receives over two-thirds of the votes; if no pope has been elected by a two-thirds majority after a certain number of ballots, the cardinals may agree to elect by a simple majority; after a new pope is elected, the ballots are burned in a manner such that white smoke comes from a chimney on the Vatican Palace roof.)
2. Ask your students what they know about the Roman Catholic Church. (They might say it is the largest body of Christians in the world; the pope is the head of the Roman Catholic Church; Roman Catholics believe that Jesus Christ saved humanity through his life and death and by rising from the dead and entering heaven.)
3. Pope Francis is known for his concern for the poor. Have your students debate the topic, “Poverty is the most important issue in the world today.”
4. Ask your students to use the World Book’s Timelines feature to create a timeline of history of the papacy. (Students may wish to use the “History” section of World Book’s Pope article.)