The most controversial pope of the new age, though he acts and speaks out of compassion, Pope Francis I has spent his short term tackling a variety of Catholic teachings. He has openly challenged the teachings on gay marriage by saying, “Who am i to judge a gay person of goodwill who seeks the Lord? You can’t marginalize these people.” He said this in response to a question about gay priests, and he is under heavy fire from some of the more conservative Catholics. As it was once defined, Catholic means, “Universal,” and Pope Francis seems to recognize and respect this seemingly forgotten definition.

In September, Pope Francis charged newly appointed cardinals with a massive task. He and these cardinals would “rip up and rewrite” the constitution of the Catholic Church. While they are still working on this project, Cardinal Oscar Rodríguez Maradiaga, the group’s leader, said as the meeting loomed they were planning to go much further that just changing “this and that.” He went on to say, “No, that constitution is over,” he said in a TV interview. “Now it is something different. We need to write something different.”

The new constitution will change the way the entire Church works. It will possibly change the standing on presenting Communion to remarried divorcees, as well as lowering the view of Rome to be the center but rather “a body that serves the universal Church and local Churches,” said Fr. Lombardi, an observer of the process in the Vatican. More of these constitution meetings shall occur in January and February.

He has stood up and decided to lubricate the rusted, dusty machine that is the Church. He is looking for a way to change the world, and it seems as if he might succeed.