The voices of Francis

Abstract

This article offers a contribution to the definition of discourse of resistance based on an argumentative analysis of the reactions of users of the website X, formerly Twitter, to a post by Vatican News. This post, from December 2023, publicizing the Church’s apparent openness to the blessing of homosexual couples, authorized by Pope Francis, sparked a controversy, polarizing reactions, mostly disapproval. Drawing on the concept of heteronormative order, the article asks whether these counter-discourses can be considered as discourse of resistance to an established order, in this case that of Pope Francis. The article concludes that although these comments constitute counter-discourses and their speakers seem to perceive themselves as resisting a perverted order, they could not be qualified as discourses of resistance, because they rather relate to doxic argumentation. Finally, the article suggests that a discourse of resistance should be counter-doxic and requires a political definition to be fully understood and operationalized.