Although I'm not Catholic, Pope Francis appears to be pushing for a much broader policy of inclusion and tolerance to combat poverty, which seems to be his priority nemesis.

Although it may simply be good PR and branding, on the other hand, it may not be...

He could be fooling us, but I get the feeling he is sincere.

From his first homily - addressed specifically to cardinals and bishops - to his more recent broader comments, it seems he's setting some priorities. Or at least putting them on the table.

How it plays out remains to be seen.

He knows the world is watching, of course.

less and less likely. He really seems to be seizing the opportunity to reframe some very important issues.

but part of being Pope is to be the voice of the Church. So what he says truly matters.

What I find interesting is that much/most of what the Pope has been saying is firmly part of the Catholic Social Doctrine (which is very well documented in text). But he chooses to emphasize it.

I like the phrase "human dignity" as used here. It is a great term, without religious connotation. I just checked in the
Catholic Social Doctrine and found that phrase is used 39 times (the word dignity itself is used 184 times). From that source:

It's beginning to look as though the Cardinals may have elected another John XXIII. I wonder if that's what they meant to do.

perhaps they thought he would be the quiet type, lol.