Pope Francis
Pope Francis is affectionately known as the “People’s Pope” for a number of reasons, prime among them his insatiable desire to make himself approachable and his unabashed ability to address the more contentious issues affecting the world.
Francis touched down in the U.S. Tuesday. During his nearly one-week visit, he will hold Mass, meet with area bishops, visit the White House, travel to various areas in Washington, D.C., meet the United Nations General Assembly, and visit Our Lady Queen of Angels School in New York as well as Independence Mall and the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility in Philadelphia. He will also deliver a message to a joint session of Congress Thursday.
His appeal is unquestionable, as his visit has garnered one of the largest security efforts in U.S. history, with more than 6,000 police officers providing protection to Francis in New York City.
The pope’s vocal opposition to income inequality, the destruction and neglect of the environment, the issue of immigration and today’s brand of Christianity have largely drawn a crowd of supporters.
According to a recent CNN/ORC poll, nearly half of all Americans and 78 percent of Catholics said they were looking forward to the Pope’s trip to the U.S.
What makes this pope different from the previous popes who have served?
First, Pope Francis’s direct and practical approach to Christianity has caught the attention and interest of many. He is a man who spent the early years of his life and priesthood out among the people or, as the Bible calls them, “the least of these.” He remains a man with a deep desire to embed himself among the masses.
Francis has rather boldly called out believers of Christianity to care for the hurting, poverty stricken, sick and lost among us. In addition, he has forcefully denounced the tenets of capitalism, calling it the “dung of the devil.”
Pope Francis calls Christians to travel outside the walls of the church, share with others the love of God and dirty their hands and feet in the work of uplifting the lives of others.
Many are particularly drawn to Francis’s simplicity and desire for positive change.
“He’s more outgoing,” said a friend’s husband recently. “He has opened up the church to many other people. He’s a refreshing pope.”
In Wednesday’s canonization Mass at Catholic University in Washington, D.C., Pope Francis directed Christians and others to prevent their hearts from turning numb. Rather than allow ourselves to become apathetic and complacent, his words call us to live a life of action.
“Our daily routine can often lead us to a kind of glum apathy which gradually becomes a habit, with a fatal consequence: our hearts grow numb,” Francis said. “So we ought to ask ourselves, ‘What can we do to keep our heart from growing numb and becoming anesthetized? How do we make the joy of the Gospel increase and take deeper root in our lives?'”
In the end, Pope Francis has presented all of us–believers and nonbelievers alike–with an approach toward humanity we all should aspire to. For it’s not always about our wants, needs and desires, but about those around us who may be suffering, hurting and in need.
It’s quite simple: if we see another person in need and we can provide help, we should make an effort to do so. Such an act isn’t just Christian-based, but a sign of genuine compassion and concern for the other.
Pope Francis truly embodies all that is good and pure in the world, and he is an exceptional example of those powerful words found in the Gospel of Matthew that read, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in. I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”
Bethlehem resident Mark Reccek began reporting in 2010. He currently serves as a distressed debt reporter for Prospect News, an online publisher of stock market and financial news. He also serves as a web reporter for WFMZ and the Lehigh Valley Press weekly newspapers. A native of the Lehigh Valley, Mark graduated from Lehigh University with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in political science. He also holds a law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. He is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, having served active duty from 1996-2000.
