HE IS GOD LIKE

Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born December 17, 1936. Seventy seven years later on February 28, 2013, he was elected Pope of the Catholic Church. Pope Francis.

Pope Frances touched many during his recent visit to the United States. Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Exhibited unique qualities. He was God like, human, sensitive, interested in people and their problems, etc.

These qualities are not imbued in a man the day he becomes Pope. They have to be intrinsic in him. A result of his experiences in life. Good and bad.

Pope Frances traveled an interesting road from his teen years to his days as Pope. All molded him to be who he is. The man a work in progress. 

I share some of what I discovered with you. 

Pope Francis had three girl friends. His first was the girl next door. Amalia. Amalia and his second love were during his teenage years. The third occurred while he was in the seminary. The Pope was attending a family wedding and met a young woman. They fell in love. A choice had to be made. The Pope opted for the priesthood.

He became seriously ill as a teenager. A lung infection. Part of one lung had to be removed.

During his university years, the Pope was in need of money. He had several jobs. While studying for a graduate degree in chemistry, he worked as a bouncer in an Argentine night club. Would you believe! He also worked as a janitor sweeping floors and testing chemicals in a laboratory.

He earned a graduate degree in chemistry.

The Pope's mother did not support his decision to become a priest. She was adamantly opposed. Never the less, he entered the seminary at 21. His mother at first refused to visit him. 

Basketball was and is his sport love of choice. He enjoys shooting hoops. One of the Pope's most prized possessions is a personalized jersey from the Boston Celtics.

The spirit of a rebel was within him. While a priest, Argentina was ruled by a dictatorship. Not a friendly group. The Pope hid people in his church who were being sought by the authorities.

As the Auxiliary Bishop of Buenos Aires, he was known as the Slum Bishop. His concern for the poor obvious. He increased dramatically the number of priests assigned to the slum areas of the city.

When he moved up a step and became the Bishop of Buenos Aires, he further exhibited his humility and love for the poor. He washed the feet of people in jails, hospitals, old age homes, and the slums on Holy Thursday each year. He continues that practice as Pope.

As a priest, bishop and to this day as Pope, he is a big soccer fan. His team is the San Lorenzo Football Club.

The Pope loves talking with his friends. On the phone. Not a mobile one. He uses a land line. He telephones his friends on impulse and at random times to chat. As friends do.

The Pope tangos. He has enjoyed doing so for years.

The Pope sometimes falls asleep while praying. He says ".....it is good to fall asleep in God's presence."

He has a sweet tooth. He enjoys alfajores. An Argentine cookie filled with dulce de leche covered with chocolate.

A pleasure for the Pope is watching moves. Loves them! His favorite is Fellinini's 1954 La Strada.

The Pope has an interest in art. His favorite painting is a Chagall. The White Crucifixion.

The Pope speaks seven languages. His has a problem with English, however. Pronunciation. He claims it is the result of being very tone deaf.

His favorite language and the one he is most comfortable with is Spanish. Argentina is a Spanish speaking nation. During his recent United States visit, 14 of his 18 speeches were spoken in Spanish.

A U.S. President has Air Force One. The Pope, Shepherd One.

The Pope has a Twitter account. Six million followers. @Pontifex.

Pope Francis touches people because he has touched and been touched by life. He does human things. There is no fanfare about him. His humility obvious.

He is God like.

POPE FRANCIS.....A FLAMING LIBERAL

Pope Francis' election as Pope of the Catholic Church provided me no consolation at the time. I wrote soon after that I doubted he was what Catholics in the United States needed. I envisioned him as another preacher of Church doctrinaire which had driven Catholics from the Church en masse. 

 

I considered the problems of United States Catholics distinct from those of Catholics in other countries. Gays, abortion and birth control were among the leaders. It was my opinion that a simple priest from Argentina was not equipped by training or experience to deal with these issues. My reasoning was based on the fact that his primary concern as a prelate  in Argentina was to help the poor. Poverty was a local problem he had dealt with his entire priestly career.

 

I was wrong! I could not have been more wrong!

 

Pope Francis has been a surprise and a breath of fresh air. Doctrinaire is not as rigid. He speaks of love. Jesus loved. The Church should love. The new Pope recognized that the position of the Church had been one of obsession. A rigid doctrinaire approach to gays, abortion and birth control. He said in effect ease up, love one another.

 

Pope Francis made it clear. Such items were on the table for rethinking.

 

Slate Magazine last week referred to Pope Francis as.....a flaming liberal. He is. Conservative he is not. His comments are shaking his Church and the rest of the world at the same time.

 

If question still existed as to his flaming liberalism, Pope Francis cleared the air this past Sunday. The Pope was in Cagliari, Sardinia. He had a prepared speech to give. The comments of the people caused him to cast his prepared remarks aside. People were telling him they lacked work, needed work. Things were desperate. It was increasingly difficult for a father to feed his family.

 

Pope Francis' off the cuff remarks hit home. Not only for Cagliari, but for the rest of the world also. He spoke of money, big business and poverty.

 

He began by condemning big business' idolatry of money over man. He referred to money as an ".....idol." Decried the ".....god called money."

 

The Pope said, ".....where there is no work, there is no dignity." This statement recalled to mind Flora's comment. Flora is an Albanian I met in Amorgos this past summer. She cleaned my living quarters.

 

Flora moved me. Her simplicity, her piety. Life could be tough. I quoted Flora's comment in my column published here late in August. She told me that ".....for poor people winter is all year, there is no summer."

 

Flora and the Pope are of the same mind set.

 

Pope Francis further commented on the old, the young and their treatment in the money world of today. He said,  "We throw away grandparents and we throw away young people. We have to say no to this throwaway culture. We want a system that helps everyone."

 

Another of his comments hit me hard. He urged the unemployed to fight for work. Fight.....

 

Comments the Pope has made fuel the fires of revolutionary thought. Love one another, tear away at the restrictive thinking of the Church, everyone who wants to work should work.

 

No question Pope Francis is a liberal. Makes sense. Jesus was a liberal.

 

Pope Francis is planting seeds that will alter the thinking of the Catholic Church. Perhaps the world.