The Pope Francis Thread

I would not want to be the Archbishop who made the New York Times for spending large sums to renovate my summer home after closing a beloved school due to lack of funds. I meant to link a story in the original post. It was a story where the Pope said something embracing atheists. For the record, I admire a lot of the things the Pope has said and done. I much prefer him to the last guy.

 

Oops ...

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/03/03/285271511/pope-francis-lets-f-bomb-fly-during-vatican-address

 

Can we call him Pope Frank?

 

http://www.today.com/popculture/pope-francis-invites-patti-smith-perform-vatican-christmas-concert-1D80289354

Patti Smith will be among the performers at the Vatican Christmas concert.

No word if Iggy Pop might make a surprise appearance.

"Traditionalist" groups, of course, are having shit-fits.

 

I hope this Pope has vetted his security detail well because Opus Dei-Antonin Scalia faction may just go Dan Brown on him. I do fear for the safety of the Pope. When Benedict espoused solid conservative teachings, the Pope was held up as the unquestionable leader. Now, the Conservative faction is all about questioning the Pope's interpretation of doctrine.

Next thing you know, Ted Cruz will try an impeach the Pope

 

Pope Francis made a surprise visit to a shantytown on Rome's outskirts on Sunday, stunning poor residents, many of them from his native South America.

The pope was on his way to a visit to a parish in the working class Tiburtina area when he asked aides to make a detour to stop at the shantytown he had heard about.

"He got out of the car and people were shocked when they saw him in front of their shacks," said Father Aristide Sana, the pastor of the parish. Sana rushed to the shantytown near his parish when he was told at the last minute.

Television pictures showed the pope surrounded by people Sana said were mostly from Peru and Ecuador. They rushed out of their shacks made of concrete, wood and corrugated metal.

"How many of you here speak Spanish?" he joked in Spanish. "Todos! Todos!" (everybody, everybody)," they shouted.

Sana, whose parishioners bring food and clothing to the shantytown, said people from Russia, Eritrea, Ukraine and Poland also live in the community of some 150 people. Most of the men work as manual day labourers, he said.

The pope, who has made concern for the poor a central plank of his papacy, was known as the "slum bishop" in Buenos Aires because of his frequent visits to the city's shantytowns.

Pope Francis makes surprise visit to Rome shantytown - Europe News & Top Stories - The Straits Times

 

Pope Francis also cleared the way for Archbishop Oscar Romero to become a saint last week, declaring him a martyr:

Oscar Romero, The Murdered Archbishop Who Inspires The Pope : NPR

It's a cool read about Francis and his admiration for Romero. The pope seems to take this quote to heart:

"He who wants to withdraw from danger will lose his life," said Romero. "But the person who gives himself to the service of others will be like a grain of wheat that falls to the ground and dies — but only apparently dies, for by its death, its wasting away in the ground, a new harvest is made."

 

A little surprising to find Peruvians and Ecuadorans migrating to Rome. It's harrowing enough just traversing Central America. I guess a boat is easier.

 

This pope is almost enough to make me embrace my sporadic Catholic upbringing. Almost.

 

He did seem to back down a while back on divorce and gays when some conservative bishops started to get their hackles up. The church in the U.S. is going to keep spiraling into irrelevancy if he can't stem its reactionary ways.

 

Beautiful example.

 

This pope is pretty awesome.