Pope Francis is a new St Paul for Catholics

by Letters Editor · June 19, 2014

From Tony Meehan, Cape Town

Reading The Southern Cross is akin to reading the writings of a modern-day St Paul. A huge campaign should be launched to encourage every Catholic to buy the newspaper so that every parishioner can learn about our new �saint�, Pope Francis, and his Christ-like teachings and instructions.

St Paul painted by Pompeo-Girolamo-Batoni

The pope has called on cardinals �to service rather than honour�.� With wisdom and love he tells the cardinals that a red hat �does not signify a promotion, an honour or a decoration; it is simply a form of service that requires expanding your vision and enlarging your heart�.

What wonderful encouragement for truly sincere men.

Pope John XXIII must be smiling down on the newly cleaned windows that he opened so long ago; and more than ever, the rush of fresh air pouring in.

The wheels have ground slowly but Pope Francis has swiftly moved them into top gear. Bless the Holy Spirit for giving us a new St Paul and a truly biblical follower of Christ.

Pope Francis is the Church�s modern Emmaus. As we searched for Christ, albeit in the wrong places, our hearts were burning; but we buried ourselves in pomp and ritual, rules and regulations and more deadly sins.

We put on red hats and dragged around the cappa magnas and other items of decoration and hankered to be princes. We forgot the true meaning of Christianity and its obligatory humility.

On the feast of John the Baptist last year, a few weeks before he resigned, Pope Benedict XVI celebrated the annual baptism ceremony where a number of babies were baptised.

After the baptism, when the pope distributed Holy Communion to the mothers, he did not bless the babies being held by the mothers, or acknowledge the infants in any way whatsoever. His total disregard for them and his general detached attitude was extremely disconcerting.

This year, by absolute contrast, Pope Francis assures the mothers that �breastfeeding their babies in public, even during a papal Mass in the Sistine Chapel, is OK�.

�No chorus is as wonderful as the squeaks, squeals and banter of children,� the pope said. �If they are hungry, mothers, let them eat, no worries, because they are the main focus.�

Not in our church. While the adult faithful pretend to be pious and holy, as they nod off during another boring homily, we barricade the children behind plate-glass windows in the proverbial �cry room�.

I wonder who said: �In truth I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.�

God bless you, Pope Francis, you have put Christ back into Catholicism!