Pope Francis
Growing up Catholic in this past
decade has not been easy. At school you would here about these holy men as
priests, yet on Television you would hear about all the sex abuse scandals and
the cover ups along them. You were always taught about the importance of
humility and caring for the poor, yet you could see the Bishop stroll up in a
brand new Buick during your Confirmation. How are laymen supposed to take this
message seriously when the priests and bishops seemingly do not?
This is no
surprise when you look at all the cronyism in the Roman Curia, basically Church
bureaucrats. Do not get me wrong, these cardinals and bishops in Rome have been
living large for centuries, but they used to be able to get away with it.
Nowadays, with investigative journalism, and a revised view on how these men
should live-with simplicity rather than largesse, it has become more difficult
to get away with this kind of way of life.
In comes
Cardinal Borgoglio of Argentina, an outsider with very little baggage. His
actions on the first day really spoke to me that maybe he is just what the
Church needs. Coming out in all white really was a testament to his modesty.
The fact that he did not step all the way out but instead stood with his fellow
Cardinals was important. His facial expression was stoic, which is what the
Church needs right now, a no BS character.
My favorite
part about him, however, was how he carried himself back home in Argentina.
Instead of the Bishop’s palace, he chose to live in an apartment. Rather than
ride to work every day in a flashy limousine, he rode with the ordinary on
public transportation. These actions testify to us that this is a genuine man
trying to live as Christ did.
The name
Francis, a historic namesake in the Church, is very fitting. As Francis of Assisi
was called by Christ to “rebuild my Church,” Pope Francis has been called to do
the same for us as well.
Copyright 2013
Please Comment
No comments:
Post a Comment