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Pope Francis, formerly
Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, is one of the most influential popes. And we are
blessed because he will visit us this coming January 16-18, 2015, particularly
in Tacluban City and Manila. We all knew that in his administration, he was
doing extraordinary things like; he invited a boy with Down's Syndrome for a ride in the Pope mobile, he
embraced and kissed Vinicio Riva a man scarred
by a genetic disease, he held a major ceremony at the chapel of a youth
prison, he snuck out of the Vatican to feed the homeless, etc. These are some
of the extraordinary things done by Pope Francis. In other words, he is in
solidarity with the lost, the last and the least.
His advocacy is to be merciful and
compassionate to other people, especially to the poor. He tries to establish the true church, a
church for the poor. Lately, he was doing many extraordinary things. First, as
I have cited above, his invitation of a boy with Down’s syndrome for a ride in
the Pope mobile, maybe this was not done by the previous popes but Pope Francis
did this because maybe he has something to tell us. Perhaps he wanted us to be
more caring and loving for those people who have defects. Or maybe he wanted to emphasize the importance
of each person. Second, I was touched when he embraced and kissed Vinincio
Riva, a man scarred by genetic disease. For me, it was a sign of humility. Maybe Riva was a hopeless man because he
suffered a genetic disease and maybe he was often mocked in public because of
his situation, but Pope Francis made him feel that he is important. The act
itself of Pope Francis, embracing and kissing Riva, is a very evangelical
act. Third, he held a major ceremony at
the chapel of a youth prison. In this account, he
broke tradition by washing the feet of women and Muslims. Although he broke traditions,
but we knew that it is not wrong. For me, he was only promoting peace between
Muslims and Christians. Fourth, he snuck out of the Vatican to feed the
homeless. In this account, it has been
discovered that Pope Francis regularly leaves the Vatican at night to feed the
homeless. In going there he dressed as an ordinary priest. Pope Francis somehow
shows to the homeless that they are loved. These things somehow affect
me because, as an aspiring priest, this is a great challenge to me on how to be
with the people. I know that what he is doing is never easy, it takes courage
and commitment. That’s why I’m very thankful that he is our pope, a pope who
valued simplicity, humility, service and compassion.
