This isn't about Barack Obama
This blog post is not about Barack Obama. Now that we have cleared that up, I'm ready to move on.I saw an anti-Obama ad on Facebook yesterday. It read, "Worst President ever? Like if you agree." Let me state my President Obama stance clearly. I didn't vote for him; either time, but to call him "the worst president ever" is as ignorant as it is ludicrous. Unfortunately, it is also a sign of the slightly uniformed, over-the-top, and divisive times we live in, but as I said, this post isn't about Barack Obama.
It's about Jorge Mario Bergoglio.
In a time where conservatives blame liberals for the death of Detroit, yet no one addresses the $9 billion owed to its retired workers, when we lament the death of a young black man in Florida, yet largely ignore the deaths of 2,251 Americans in Afghanistan, where citizens and their leaders waste uncounted hours legislating who marries whom, yet ignore the more pressing problems of a bankrupt foreign policy, Bergoglio is a breath of fresh air, a voice of reason.
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When asked about gays, Bergoglio said, "Who am I to judge?" On the night after election to his high office, he took a bus with his friends back to his hotel, rather than be chauffeured. His election necessitated a move to another continent, and we all know what a pain moving can be, but Bergoglio, a man who can draw on the services of a large clerical staff, personally called the newspaper kiosk in his hometown to cancel the delivery.
But Jorge is more than just down to Earth. The man seems genuinely open--open minded, open to dialogue, open to compromise, a voice of moderation in an often immoderate world. Jorge stated, "there is room in the heart for the (other) person’s point of view." A Catholic, Jorge claims that Protestants and Catholics should focus on what they have in common, not their differences. He has attended Rosh Hashanah (Jewish new year) services at a synagogue, and in is former job made significant efforts to open a dialogue with Islamic leaders, visiting both a mosque and Islamic school. So far in his young term, he is an example to world leaders and everyday folks of what moderation, and thoughtfulness can accomplish.
I guess I should be clever. I think that spikes the reader statistics, and to some extent writing to be read is what this blog is about. But this post isn't about clever, it's about hope. I want this man to succeed, I want more reason, more dialogue in my world.
I bet you have guessed by now, but in case you are still wondering who Jorge Mario Bergoglio is, don't fret. Perhaps you know him by his business name, Pope Francis.
It's about Jorge Mario Bergoglio.
In a time where conservatives blame liberals for the death of Detroit, yet no one addresses the $9 billion owed to its retired workers, when we lament the death of a young black man in Florida, yet largely ignore the deaths of 2,251 Americans in Afghanistan, where citizens and their leaders waste uncounted hours legislating who marries whom, yet ignore the more pressing problems of a bankrupt foreign policy, Bergoglio is a breath of fresh air, a voice of reason.
.
When asked about gays, Bergoglio said, "Who am I to judge?" On the night after election to his high office, he took a bus with his friends back to his hotel, rather than be chauffeured. His election necessitated a move to another continent, and we all know what a pain moving can be, but Bergoglio, a man who can draw on the services of a large clerical staff, personally called the newspaper kiosk in his hometown to cancel the delivery.
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| Detroit. Does it matter whose fault it is? |
I guess I should be clever. I think that spikes the reader statistics, and to some extent writing to be read is what this blog is about. But this post isn't about clever, it's about hope. I want this man to succeed, I want more reason, more dialogue in my world.
I bet you have guessed by now, but in case you are still wondering who Jorge Mario Bergoglio is, don't fret. Perhaps you know him by his business name, Pope Francis.
Comments
Jim S.
In each of the anecdotes related above, the man demonstrates humility. Humility is a prerequisite for learning, and a precursor of wisdom. It is also (in my humble opinion) the most essential teaching of Christ, and a quality that few of us choose to cultivate. (I know you, Mark, and you happen to be one of the few.)
Politicians (of either party) seldom practice humility, except for the occasional tearful confession to a gathering of reporters, seeking absolution. I suppose that is the nature of their business; we expect nothing else.
Fortunately, we have other examples to emulate.