The travails of Campbell Newman and Tony Abbott have focused attention on how public leaders engage with their public. Most advice suggests that they should be more controlled and less quirky in their actions and totally on message in their words. A darker shade of grey.
In this climate they might go to school on Pope Francis whose approval ratings are off the scales. He famously engages with the public through symbolic gestures that embody his program, such as moving out of the Vatican palace and washing Muslim women’s feet in a jail.
For politicians his most interesting symbol might be the press conferences and interviews he gives. The interviews are uncontrolled: questions are not vetted beforehand: the journalists are not simply from church but also from secular media; He does not prepare for them with his media minders. Nor does he put a time-limit on them. And in his answers he is personal, anecdotal and colloquial, going beyond the language of Catholic theology to find words that his audience will resonate with.
Political advisers, including those in the Catholic Church, normally advise political leaders strongly against such uncontrolled press conferences. They inevitably lead to misunderstandings and to partial representations. Journalists will highlight the spiciest phrases taken out of context, will focus on apparent inconsistencies with the party platform, and will identify gaffes. Then they will gather divergent opinions within the party, so contradicting the appearance of unity, sobriety and solidity. The result is the impression of incompetence, disunity and arbitrariness. That is why most leaders and parties avoid uncontrolled interviews, plan what issues they will address regardless of the questions asked, and always stay on-message.
The critics, of course, are right. All these things happen to Pope Francis. But the do not deter him. He simply addresses matters on which his views have been misrepresented, affirms his acceptance of recent Papal teaching, expresses trust in open expression of opinion and keeps giving press conferences.
His way of proceeding is not simply a personal strategy but embodies his vision of the Catholic Church. In an open press conference Pope Francis goes out beyond the church, speaks informally as himself and so is vulnerable. The press conference is inherently democratic in its style, is exploratory rather than declaratory, and sees truth as something to be sought together, not simply handed down.
These qualities enact his vision of how the Catholic Church should be present in the