Since his election in 2013, Pope Francis has embodied an approach centered on personal simplicity, with a stance that is open and welcoming to all, above all to the marginalized and vulnerable: the poor, ethnic minorities, migrants fleeing violence or persecution, or victims of violence or...

This article examines Pope Francis's understanding of the relationship between church and state, the ends of civil authority, and the importance of religious liberty. It argues that Francis challenges claims, made by legal and religious scholars, that civil authority must be neutral as to...