The sensitive in Pope Francis’ persuasive work

Abstract

With the advance of hate speech, the dissemination of fake news, and the valorization of economic interests even in interpersonal relationships, the presence of Pope Francis draws attention, mobilizing regimes of truth and belief based on the construction of collective belonging and sensitive adherence to his values. We are interested in understanding how this body is constructed both from the point of view of the plane of expression - with its circular forms - and from the point of view of the plane of content - with its discursive strategies that blur the boundaries between enunciator and enunciatee, figurativized in religious discourse as pastor and the faithful. Articulating the tensive figures (ZILBERBERG, 2011) to the ellipsis paths of interaction regimes (LANDOWSKI, 2014), the present study analyzes a set of discourses by and about Francis to understand how the mobilization of the sensitive occupies a central position in the strategies of the Argentine Pope's persuasive action. Our hypothesis is that Pope Francis shifts the construction of the sacred as dogmatic truth to that of the sacred as sensitive and collective living and sharing of a faith that must transform power relations in society.