For as long as anyone could remember, people have put faith into their—well, faith. Religion provides a sense of hope and comfort in a world that is often cruel and unforgiving. Through the years, each religion has developed a core set of tenets and guidelines that their members follow. While it has always been common for the more mundane rules to be disobeyed by even the strongest believers, the current generation of youths struggles with a much more difficult situation; what does one do when their moral compass points in the opposite direction of the church?

The world is in a social upheaval. There is a large increase in both the growth of and the tolerance of the LGBT community. The “family” image is ever-changing with more widespread support of gay marriage along with an increasing acceptance of divorce. This change in outlook is perpetuated largely through the youth, and millennial Catholics are no exception.

The struggle with young Catholics, however, is that they find themselves fighting not against social wrongs, but against what they think is right. The Catholic Church, along with many other religious groups, have adopted strong stances against some of the most polarizing issues of today: gay marriage and homosexuality in general, divorce, abortion. For a religion that devotes half of its book mainly on the themes of love and forgiveness, it seems strange that it would build its rules on a sense of prejudice. This feeling is often reciprocated throughout millennial Catholics, who are living through a time that is not only shaking the world's social standards, but their faith as well.

So what does one do when faced with this fork in the road? For some, they simply leave the church. For others, they remain, but not without a feeling of disconnect. For a few years, that disconnect deepened, with no change in heart from the church in sight. Then, an old man from Argentina reminded the world that Catholicism was not based on judgment, but on love.

Pope Francis has been the head of the Catholic Church for about three years now, and ever since day one his presence has been felt. It seems every other day the Pope drops a new quote that sends both conservative and liberal Catholics into a frenzy. In fact, only a few days ago Francis suggested that a "great majority" of Catholic marriages are invalid due to couples not taking their vows seriously. But throughout all his charged statements, one thing is clear: Pope Francis intends to preach tolerance above all.

"Who am I to judge?" Those five words, directed at those in the LGBT community who themselves are searching for god, brought forth some of the strongest indications that the Catholic church is heading to a more accepting role. The Pope's stance on annulments, making it easier for divorced Catholics to be forgiven for their separation, and thus more quickly re-accepted into the church, is also an example of Francis's movement of tolerance. He is still very much conservative with many issues, as he is strongly opposed to abortion, and does not feel that the Catholic church should take part in same-sex marriages. But the overall message is this: opposing ideals aside, we are all people, and we all deserve love and respect.

This shift in thought aligns with what most Catholics feel today; many agree that divorced couples should still be a part of the church, and a great amount of Catholics feel that the church should recognize same-sex marriages. For many, Pope Francis is a refreshing change. For younger generations, he is a Godsend. Speaking from personal experience, Pope Francis brought to fruition what I had learned in over eight years of Catholic school. After being taught year after year of Jesus's love and forgiveness of all people, it was disheartening that the church itself did not follow the standards of its most recognizable person. It can be said for me and for many other millennial Catholics, that Pope Francis is a good start in rekindling a wavering faith.