WOW. We have a new Pope. WYD in Rio this July just got a little more awesomely insane, especially as we gather with the first Latin American Pope, how exciting!
I don't know about the rest of the pilgrims in our group, but I'm already hoping/praying to get a good picture of Pope Francis in the Popemobile (don't worry I promise I won't jump over the barricades or anything...).
If you haven't read much about Pope Francis you may want to do so; only a day after his election, I'm reading so much on the deep humility and compassion of our new shepherd. This is a humble man...just listen to all these facts coming in about him. He chose to live in a small apartment heated by a stove instead of the palace, cooks his own meals, loves to dance the Tango, takes the public bus, and oh yeah washes and kisses the feet of AIDS patients!?!?!? That's like kissing the lepers, right?
And then just observing such deep humility when he first greeted the people: first he prays for B16 and asks the crowds to join in, bowed before the people asking them to pray for him in silence, and then he prayed over all of us. He has a deep love and heart for the poor. He has stood up against injustices with the government and has fought for the rights of the Church. He would simply go out and walk amid the streets of his city back home simply talking to the people, meeting them where they were at and just get to know them. Can we say 'New Evangelization 101'?
On break tonight during class, I saw an interview with Cardinal Dolan where he told reporters the surprising story of how the newly elected pope decided to take the bus back to the hotel Wednesday with the rest of the cardinals instead of riding in the Holy Father’s car.
“So we take the buses over and the cardinals kind of wait outside to greet the new Holy Father as he comes back to Doma Santa Marta…and as the last bus pulls up, guess who gets off the bus? Pope Francis,” Dolan said. “So I guess he told the driver, ‘That’s OK. I’ll just go with the guys on the bus.’” WOW. I'm really looking forward to learning more about him and seeing letters/books/encyclicals he writes in the future.
May we all continue to pray for Pope Francis as he takes on this momentous task for the Church...
I'll leave you with a few pictures to take a look at I have found over the past 24 hours...it's hard to sleep with Pope mania going on!
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| God said to St. Francis hundreds of years ago, "Francis, go rebuild my church for it is falling into ruin." Pope Francis chose his name after St. Francis of Assisi {radical lover of poverty, Jesus Christ, and spreading the Good News} You lead, we'll follow, Pope Francis!!! |
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| What love...what humility! |
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| Worth a thousand years...1 picture, 3 Pope's!!! Jesus, you are beyond generous! |
