Good Shepherd Pastor: 'Pope Shakes Us All Out of Our Complacency

Echoing many other’s sentiments, Reverend James Laughlin, pastor of Good Shepherd Parish, said it’s a very exciting time for the Catholic Church in the United States, given the visit from an extraordinarily popular pope.

Wayland Patch asked Rev. Laughlin to share his reaction to Pope Francis’s historic visit.

“Pope Francis is a great source of pride for Catholics everywhere as he reaches across religious divides in speaking to all people about the most pressing moral issues of our time,” said Rev. Laughlin. “Pope Francis, by his words and actions, is a powerful witness to the richness of the Catholic Church’s social teaching and highlights what is central to Catholic teaching and to the Gospel.”

Laughlin said he hopes that disenfranchised Catholics would perhaps take another look at their relationship with the church, and cites the pope as being a great inspiration to his own work as a pastor.

“The Pope is a wonderful example of a pastor as one who accepts and receives people where they are, opening wide the doors of the Church with the embrace of God’s love,” said Rev. Laughlin. “His addresses to the United States Congress and the United Nations challenge world leaders and all of us to see the impact of the decisions we make on the lives of real people, especially the poor. He shakes us all out of our complacency regarding our responsibility to our fellow humans and our planet.”

Most of Laughlin’s parishioners have shared with him how moved they have been by the pope’s words, and “experience him as a truly Christ-like figure.”

“Pope Francis is an inspiration to Catholics and non-Catholics alike,” he said. “For Catholics, his visit is a source of pride for our Church and a challenge to live more fully the faith which we cherish.”