The Beatitudes of Pope Francis: A Manifesto for the Modern Christian
On the feast of All Saints in November 2016, Pope Francisoutlined six new beatitudes for today’s Christians, each reinforcing the revolutionary words of the Beatitudes of Jesus. In his beatitudes, Pope Francis emphasises his deep-seated concern for, among others, the disenfranchised, the marginalised and the poor, for humanitarians and social justice advocates, those who work towards repairing our relationship with the earth and those ‘who see God in every person and strive to make others also discover him’.
In The Beatitudes of Pope Francis: A Manifesto for the Modern Christian, writer, lecturer and social justice activist Aidan Donaldson explores the challenge of these new beatitudes, presenting them not as alternatives to the blessings of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount, but as fresh signposts towards the continued realisation of Christ’s call to discipleship in everyday life.
Dr. Aidan Donaldson is an associate consultant in Ethos and Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Down and Connor and lectured in philosophy at St Malachy’s Junior Seminary, Belfast. He is former chaplain at St Mary’s Christian Brothers’ Grammar School, Belfast, a prominent member of the Edmund Rice Network and works on a range of projects that advocate for the marginalised and dispossessed in both Ireland and Zambia.