The prophet Zephaniah talked about “the remnant of Israel.” With the destruction of the nation it was going to be a “remnant,” a small, core group that kept faith alive and would revivify Israel. Pope Benedict seems to have had a similar approach to living in a post-Christian world. He wrote: “Maybe Christianity will exist in small, seemingly insignificant groups that nonetheless live an intense struggle against evil and bring good into the world.” In contrast to the Church being a purified remnant Pope Francis has a more expansive vision that the best way for the church to spread its message is to embrace the largest number of people and to work with them where they are. Two different pastoral approaches for spreading the gospel.
