Written by 3 Amici
Studios Creative Director, Tom Shaker
I know some people may think it’s disrespectful to tag the
new Pontiff with a simple moniker. But,
you haven’t seen Pope Frank in action like I have.
Pope Frank is the new Catholic Sherriff in the Eternal
City. This means he is the spiritual CEO
of all Christendom. Those before him
have been saintly (Peter), soon to be saintly (John XXIII and John Paul II
coming soon this December, 2013) and totally despotic/satanic/bad boys
(Alexander VI Borgia comes to mind).
For the first time in a long time (about 700 years) we have
one Pope who resigned and another elected. Benedict XVI was a good guy as far
as I’m concerned. He had a tough act to
follow after JP II and even tougher choice to make when his flesh became weak
despite his strong and fervent spirit.
Out of nowhere, Ben 16 did the unthinkable. He knew he couldn’t serve at full tilt
anymore and chose the humble path of retirement. For those who had nick named him “Panzer
Pope” and tastelessly quirked “Heil Mary”, this announcement served as
harbinger that Cardinal Ratzinger was a true priest who did the right thing for
his flock. Bravo Pope Ben!
Enter Frank. This
Argentinian Cardinal came in second to Ben in 2005 when the conclave was
electing a successor to JP II. This time, in March 2013, on the 3rd
ballot, the Cardinal Club passed the big hat on to humble Francesco.
It’s a first in many ways.
The first Pope from outside Europe, the first Jesuit Pontiff, the first Francis
(Papa Francesco Primus); get the picture? But, there are other aspects and
activities of this Pope that signal a change in style and substance.
Pope Frank highlights, in less than one year, are:
- Offering “Buon Pranzo” (have a nice lunch) at his first Sunday public blessing in Piazza San Pietro.
- Breaking the Holy Thursday tradition of washing the feet of a young priest to symbolize Christ washing the feet of his apostles. Pope Frank went to a prison and washed the feet of Female-Muslim-Prisoners.
- He goes to the front desk and paid his bill. “Hi, Room 313, Checking out. Right. That’s me. Pope Frank. Let me pay cash. I don’t need the write off.”
- Cuts back on security and has fun being mauled in his native Argentina.
- Looses the red shoes and fancy duds. Simple priestly attire is the rule.
- Announces to the world that the Catholic Church welcomes all and does not require conversion, penance or baptism. Good atheists, polite Buddhists, magnanimous Muslims and anyone else who has the spirit of community and love can hang with the Church.
- Gay? To paraphrase him, “That’s none of my business. The Church welcomes all and passes no judgment.
Ok, it sounds like I am on the Pope Frank bandwagon. Well, I am.
Humility, generosity, simple application of Christian themes and a great
sense of humor; go get ‘em Francesco.
It’s nice to have a true priest in the big house.
