As a non-Catholic, I can honestly say that I never understood people’s fascination with the Papacy. However, when Pope Benedict XVI resigned, I quickly tuned in – largely due to the scandal of it – following the process up until the selection of Pope Francis. After Francis was selected my interest quickly waned and I moved on to the new flavor of the month; the debt ceiling debate.
Meanwhile, Francis began one of the most progressive Papal reigns in the history of the Catholic Church. He took to the streets and started to actively combat poverty, taking in the weak and destitute along the way. Pope Francis isn’t simply being a good Christian, he is being a good person, and that is something that we all should aspire to be.
Pope Francis’ commitment to serving the poor has helped produce one of the most beautiful moments of the 21st century. When Pope Francis embraced Vinicio Riva – the man with Recklinghausen’s disease – he sent a powerful message to the world that Mr. Riva is just as human as the rest of us, despite his tumor-laden face.
We all could learn much from the example set by Pope Francis; everyone is so caught up looking at things like race, nationality, socioeconomic status and physical appearances that we often overlook people’s humanity. Instead of focusing on our differences we should be looking to our similarities. If we embraced this simple principle, so many of the world’s numerous problems would be much easier to fix.
Americans have always had a complicated relationship with welfare programs; as a Republican I often find myself personally conflicted on this very issue. Essentially our commitment to helping the poor generally breaks down differently down party lines, “blue states” have more generous government programs to combat poverty, while “red states” tend to donate more of their discretionary income to charitable organizations. Regardless of which approach you favor, helping the weakest members of society is the moral obligation of all mankind, something we often tend to forget.
Once again, Pope Francis is taking a leading role in combating poverty by re-focusing his church on the ancient rite of helping the needy. He has been known to send high ranking church officials and even his Swiss Guard into the streets of Rome to combat poverty, suffering and sickness. He is taking some of the most powerful men on the planet and putting them to work washing the feet of the homeless. This provides amazing prospective for our lives because no matter how successful, rich or powerful you get, you never become above serving your fellow man.
More than anything I want this world to be a better place. I believe that every generation has an obligation to leave this place better then when we inherited it. Pope Francis has fully embraced his role in trying to fix our shattered world and regardless of your religious affiliation, it is something to be respected and emulated. The world is a better place because Pope Francis exists, and that is truly something we should all strive for.
