An Open Letter to Pope Francis

Dear Pope Francis,

Hello! My name is Tristan and I am a student at a charter school in Daly City. Recently in my English class, we have been evaluating both nonfiction and fiction articles and coming up with argumentative claims. One of the topics that I have personally chosen is whether religious institutions have done more harm than good in the past. I chose you because I felt like you would be the one person who could understand both sides of the argument. Based on my research, I would have to argue that historically, religious institutions have done more harm than good. Religion teaches people to be intolerant of others different than them and religious officials used to be corrupt and would use their position in the church for their own personal gain.

To start, religion teaches people to be intolerant of others different than them and the things that define them. To give some context on this issue, religious texts from the Christian bible have instructed Christians to not trust those who are different which simply demonstrates arrogance and intolerance, especially from a religion that is meant to be accepting of people of every gender, race, sexual orientation, age, and anything else that can be used to identify someone. According to Valerie Tarico, a psychologist who co-founded the Progress Alliance of Washington, which is a collective of future-oriented donors investing in progressive change. In their article titled, “6 reasons religion may do more harm than good”, “The Iron Age was a time of rampant superstition, ignorance, inequality, racism, misogyny, and violence. Slavery had God’s sanction. Women and children were literally possessions of men. Warlords practiced scorched earth warfare. Desperate people sacrificed animals, agricultural products, and enemy soldiers as burnt offerings intended to appease dangerous gods.” In other words, religion was at its peak in followers during times of inequality which means that the spread of intolerance was contagious and spread fast. This information is significant because it illustrates how the spread of intolerance was notorious in those times which means that intolerance and bigotry was most likely passed down from generation to generation. Additionally, according to Estelle, an author of numerous short stories and articles, she explains some of the crimes that have been committed by delusional religious people in her work titled “10 Heinous Crimes Committed by Religious Fanatics”. She says, “Mateen had pledged allegiance to ISIS and prayed at a mosque at least four times per week. The motive for the attack is firmly believed to have been Mateen’s hatred of homosexuals, as evidenced by his father’s statement after the massacre that God Himself would punish gays for their lifestyle.” This information is significant once again because intolerance is demonstrated. A man commits mass murder on a group of homosexual people because he hated gay people and said that it was God’s will. Both of these sources connect to how religion teaches people to be intolerant of people who are different than them and further show how religion has done more harm than good.

Furthermore, religious officials used to be corrupt and would use their position in the church for their own personal gain. To give some context on this issue religious figures who were high up in the church used to use their position in the church to get whatever they wanted. This included money or in some cases, priests would molest little kids claiming that it would allow them a ticket to heaven. According to MARILYNN07, a retired English and history teacher with a B.A. in English and an M.A. in SPED, eNotes observe the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church. In their article titles, “In What Ways Did Corruption Occur in the Catholic Church at the End of the Middle Ages”, “A system of indulgences was foisted upon the public as a way to keep up the luxurious lifestyles of the pope, bishops, and clergy who lived more like princes than humble servants of God. These indulgences were sort of like a ‘free pass’ on salvation or an escape from hell…The money was used to furnish lavish apartments for the clergy. With the system of indulgences, a very wicked person could ‘buy his way out of hell’ by paying the priests to say the right prayers for his soul.” This information is important because it tells us how church officials used their position to rip off citizens. They sold indulgences for their own money and sacrificed their dignity with this action. Additionally, according to MARILYNN07, in their work titled “In What Ways Did Corruption Occur in the Catholic Church at the End of the Middle Ages”, “Corruption came in the form of artifacts which were purported to be of holy nature and were sold for huge amounts of money. They were most often faked. If one donated huge sums of money to the church, he or she could be assured of being absolved of any sins or crimes, and would most certainly assure a place in heaven. Oppose the church, and one would be kicked out assuring one of a place in hell.” This information is important because it sheds more light on what happened if one opposed or did not cooperate with the church. The Church bent and twisted the rules to fit their criteria and took advantage of citizens who desperately wanted to go to heaven. This correlates with how religious officials used to be corrupt and would use their position in the church for their own personal gain which again goes to show how historically, religious institutions have done more harm than good.

Some may argue that religion brings a sense of hope and faith to those who feel desperate or despondent. According to Paul Goodman, a freelance writer in Florida, in their work titled “The Pros and Cons of Religion”, “Religion brings meaning to people’s lives. Without a sense of meaning, people’s lives can seem empty, causing depression, angst, or anxiety. Human beings need some form of motivating force. As Jesus said: “Man cannot live by bread alone. Religion can bring a sense of hope and inspiration to people, who otherwise might feel despondent, or desperate.” What this author is saying is that religion is meant to be a guide for people and act as a sense of direction. It is meant to bring meaning to people who are lost or feel disconnected. Even though this may be true in some cases, it is also true how religion builds a sense of dependency for the individual, causing them to rely on religion for an answer for everything. According to Valerie Tarico, in their work titled “6 reasons religion may do more harm than good”, “In the most conservative sects of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, women are seen as more virtuous if they let God manage their family planning. Droughts, poverty, and cancer get attributed to the will of God rather than bad decisions or bad systems; believers wait for God to solve problems they could solve themselves.” Therefore, religion does more harm than good. It is true that religion acts as a sense of direction for others, but it also builds a sense of dependency on religion, constricting one of their free wills and in some cases, people are convinced by religion to do horrific things.

Therefore, I implore you to spread a universal message to those who are religious, publicly stating what is right and wrong in religion. This will make a difference because people whose views on religion are warped will realize what is right and wrong once they hear the most well known religious figure propose the correct view on religion. Are you willing to stand by while those who use religion to commit atrocities continue to twist and spread their views on religion to others who will inevitably follow in their instructions? I am not, and I hope you choose the right decision.

Thank you,

Tristan