• Korean journal of communication and information
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• v.70
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• pp.221-245
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• 2015

This research defines Pope Francis's visit to Korea in August 2014 and the reactions from journalism to it as a case to show the discursive potential of mediated religion for social change. It analyzes the editorials and the columns on the Pope in five daily newspapers including the Chosunilbo, the Dong-A Ilbo, the Joongang Daily, the Hankyoreh, and the Kyunghyang Shinmun. Since the Pope receives positive evaluations for his remarks and behaviors during the visit from most of those articles, this research categorizes the values identified with the Pope and those with the "anti-Pope" into a form of binary oppositions, and interpret the meanings of the rhetorical strategies. The findings suggest that a consistent narrative is constructed by journalism regarding the harsh reality of Korea and the ways to overcome its structural problems. Based on the findings, I argue that mediated religion in this case is expected by the secular society to do its role for social change by being a provider of progressive and alternative values.