5 Reasons Pope Francis Rocks

Maybe it's a little early into the new papacy for this Baptist girl to be declaring her love for the new Pope, but here are 5 reasons why, so far, he seems great:

1. He doesn't just pray for the Church; he asks the Church to pray for him.

In this article from Christianity Today, Jeremy Weber writes:

Argentina's evangelical leaders were just as surprised as anyone when Jorge Mario Bergoglio, former archbishop of Buenos Aires, was revealed Wednesday as the new Pope Francis. But they were not surprised when his first words broke from papal tradition.

In a move that Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano called "unprecedented and shocking," before Francis offered the world the traditional papal blessing, he asked those watching to first pray for him.

Such a request is one of Bergoglio's trademarks, said Juan Pablo Bongarrá, president of the Argentine Bible Society. "Whenever you talk to him, the conversation ends with a request: 'Pastor, pray for me," said Bongarrá. He recalls when Bergoglio once attended a weekly worship meeting organized by Buenos Aires's charismatic pastors. "He mounted the platform and called for pastors to pray for him," said Bongarrá. "He knelt in front of nearly 6,000 people, and [Protestant leaders] laid hands and prayed."

2. He is the first Pope to wash the feet of women in the traditional Maundy Thursday feet washing ceremony.

This non-traditional move ruffled some feathers, but it also showed love. Read more here.

3. As Cardinal in Argentina, he was known to take Baptism and Eucharist to the streets to those in need.


Kenneth Tanner reports:

In an interview last winter, then-Cardinal Bergoglio told Andrea Tornielli of Vatican Insider:

"Instead of just being a Church that welcomes and receives, we try to be a Church that comes out of itself and goes to the men and women who do not participate in parish life, do not know much about it and are indifferent towards it. We organize missions in public squares where many people usually gather: we pray, we celebrate Mass, we offer baptism which we administer after a brief preparation"

4. He's a true disciple of his namesake, Francis of Assissi

Many have reported the Pope's surprisingly ordinary ways of dressing and living. But this would have been no news to St. Francis, who adopted a life a poverty after coming from a life of plenty in order to follow Jesus and take hope into the streets.

5. This viral photo is more than a photo op; it's a picture of Christ's love.

I freely admit that I teared-up when I saw this photo. I teared-up even more when I read what the boy's father had to say about the experience of seeing his disabled son in the Pope's embrace on Easter Sunday:

It’s just so awesome to see the Holy Spirit take over like this, and that He chose to use Dominic to do it is practically beyond belief. But it shouldn’t surprise us, since from the very beginning of salvation history God has always willed to use the weak and marginalized to move and shame the powerful and the wise. Why should he not also do it today, particularly on Easter Sunday? (And I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that this marvelous encounter occurred on Easter, as if God’s raising up Dominic confirms that he and all the disabled shall one day be whole and strong and healthy, and that the glorification of their bodies in the final resurrection will be particularly wondrous.) full story here 

Mostly, I love the new Pope because he has gone out of his way to show love and humility. If Christianity is going to be represented publicly (and for many, the Pope is who people will think of when they think of Christianity) then by all means let it be represented through Pope Francis's acceptance of outsiders, his embrace of the needy, and his care for the poor.

The Pope and the Speaker of the House. A Cautionary Tale.

I would make a lousy Catholic. I can't stomach praying to anyone but Jesus and I don't agree with Papal authority. But, for once, I am applauding the Pope.

Benedict XVI recently had a fifteen minute meeting with Nancy Pelosi in which he rebuked her for her stance on abortion. This is especially poignant because Pelosi has attempted to play the part of theologian in this arena. Calling herself a Catholic, she has, laughably, attempted to state that Augustine did not know when life began and that the church fathers have struggled over the issue of abortion. (Even the most casual student of Augustine knows that he was extremely opposed to forms of birth control; it's difficult to imagine him struggling with the question of abortion.) If there is any theological concept on which the Catholic church has been consistent it is abortion and Benedict wasted no time in telling the Speaker of the House that she was mistaken.

Pope - 1, Nancy Pelosi - zero.

Actually, there are two things I like about Pope Benedict:

1 - He told an American Democrat to defend unborn babies

and

2 - He gets to ride around in one of these:

What Bin Laden Talked About Today

Bin Laden just issued a warning against his enemies. Did he condemn America for it's 'Zionist' actions? No, this time he centered his attacks on the Pope. Was it because the Pope's religion excludes Islam? No, it had to do with cartoons.

When I was a child I got into arguments about cartoons ("Batman's not a wuss, take that!") but now I only fight about important things, like which Star Trek captain is the best. (It's Picard.)

Anyway, Bin Laden says that the newspaper comics portraying Islam in a negative light are part of the Pope's secret agenda to...well, he didn't exactly say what the Pope was trying to do, but the Pope is definately behind this sinister plot involving newspaper political cartoons. (I don't get it.)

Out of respect for his religion we should probably stop showing images of these cartoons. In particular, actual images of the prophet are not to be tolerated, images like this one:

And they don't like being called 'violent', they prefer the 'religion of peace' moniker, so be sure not to show any images like this one...

Let's not forget that they treat their women well, so it wouldn't be right to reproduce this drawing:

And, for heaven's sake, this one is definately out of the question:

Keep this in mind and try not to offend anyone.