September 17-23, 2015 Current Events Lesson Plan
Current Event: Francis in Cuba
Pope Francis recently visited Cuba. He met with President Raúl Castro, held Mass in Havana’s Revolution Square, and celebrated Mass before more than 100,000 people in the city of Holguín. The pope’s visit came at a time of political change between Cuba and the United States—change brought on largely by Francis himself. A native of Argentina, Francis and his words carry tremendous weight throughout largely Catholic Latin America. Huge crowds of people attended his spiritual sermons, but—to the disappointment of some anti-Castro dissidents—Francis was careful not to directly criticize the Cuban government. He did, however, get in a few veiled shots. After visiting Cuba, Francis travelled to the United States.
Objective:
Pope Francis was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio on Dec. 17, 1936, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. After earning a master’s degree in chemistry, Francis entered a Jesuit seminary in Buenos Aires and began studying to become a priest. From 1973 through 1979, Bergoglio served as the head church official in charge of Jesuits in Argentina. In 1998, he became the archbishop of Buenos Aires. Three years later, he was made a cardinal. The College of Cardinals elected him pope in 2013. He took the name Francis, after Saint Francis of Assisi, who gave up all his possessions to work among the poor. Francis is the first pope from Latin America and the first Jesuit pope. Francis is known for his commitment to social justice, especially for the poor; his humble lifestyle; and his conservative religious beliefs. The Behind the Headlines news story and related World Book articles explore Pope Francis, the papacy, and the Roman Catholic Church.
Words to know:
- Christianity
- Cuba
- Fidel Castro
- Francis
- Havana
- Jesuit
- Latin America
- Pope
- Raúl Castro
- Roman Catholic Church
- Saint Francis of Assisi
Discussion Topics:
1. Ask your students what they know about Cuba. (Students might say that Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean region, Cuba is the only Communist state in the Americas, Havana is the country’s capital and largest city, Fidel Castro led the country from 1959 to 2006, Spanish is the country’s official language.)
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; Vatican City serves as the spiritual and governmental center of the Roman Catholic Church.)
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 for help.)
5. Ask your students to use the World Book’s Timelines feature to view or add to the History of Cuba timeline. (Students may wish to use the “History” section of World Book’s Cuba article for help.)