Pope impresses again

When Pope Francis was announced as Benedict XVI’s successor in March 2013, I had my reservations. I had quickly jumped on ‘Time for an African Pope’ bandwagon; and was disappointed when none of the African cardinals made the list of front runners. Fast forward to 2014 and I have a different opinion. Cardinal Bergoglio was in fact a good pick. For those who wondered whether a man with such humble beginnings wouldn’t be corrupted by power and the vast resources now under his control; he hasn’t, at least so far, and that’s commendable. Pope Francis was named Time Magazine’s Person of The Year in December 2013 and it’s easy to see why. His list of accomplishments is impressive, just 19 months into his papacy and if I could choose my favourite person of 2014, it would be him. Here’s why I like him. He walks the talk: Too often, we all talk about this issue or that problem and stop at that. Pope Francis doesn’t just talk, he acts. He lets street and sick children ride in his Popemobile. He invited the homeless to the Vatican on his birthday. He washed and kissed prisoners’ feet on Easter. He auctioned his motorbike for charity. The Harley Davidson bike fetched a cool £200,555 and the money went towards renovating a hostel and soup kitchen… The list of his kind gestures is long. He has made his views on global capitalism known and famously asked “How it can be that when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, it is not a news story but it is news when the stock market loses two points!” He spoke out against the “globalisation of indifference” to the migrant problem that has seen thousands drown or live in terrible conditions as they attempt to make it to Europe. He’s not comfortable with the fact that the gap between the rich and poor grows wider by the day. In line with a common saying that one should put their house in order before asking others to do the same, he asked cardinals to dress more modestly when it was brought to his attention that some of them were spending up to $20,000 on clothes! He also summoned a German Bishop who had spent $3 million on a marble courtyard and I’d like to think that the “culprit” was asked to pay some of that money back. Remember the Pope also ordered a probe into the Vatican Bank to get to the bottom of fraud and money-laundering accusations. Francis also pledged that catholic bishops who abused children will be held accountable but more than that, he apologised to the victims and asked for their forgiveness, writing personal letters and making phone calls to several of them. The same Pope stood up to the Mafia, basically telling them to take a hike back in June. You have all heard those “Mafia in the Church” stories for decades and it always seemed like no one was bold enough to stand up to them and essentially separate the Church from Mafia business until Francis, during a Mass, openly stated that Mafia members were no longer welcome in the church. Sometimes, you just need to tell it as it is. Most recently, it has been widely reported that the Pope played an important role in helping Cuba and the United States mend their frosty relations, after the US broke off diplomatic relations with Cuba. The two countries are now set to reopen diplomatic missions and relax travel and commercial restrictions. These are just some of his accomplishments that prove that he’s not only compassionate but also pragmatic. He knows times have changed since Saul and Peter walked the earth and he’s willing to address contentious matters facing humanity.

Lifestyle

Pope impresses again