Pope Francis is a breath of fresh air. He is not caught up in the trappings of the position of Pope, but takes the title "servant of servants" quite seriously. He identifies with the poor and wants our Church to focus on helping the poor. Finally, he is an advocate for social justice. He expects all his Churches and clergy to work for social justice, that is, to do what God expects of them "to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8). "
He, like Jesus, welcomes all at the table, including gays. I pray that he experiences the same conversion that Archbishop Oscar Romero experienced in El Salvador. I also pray that he allows women called by God to the priesthood, to be ordained and allows all priests the option of being married. Forced celibacy is an unnatural state and a Church leadership that is made of celibate men has no creditability with respect to addressing sexual abuse, birth control or other related issues. Bottom line is that I am thankful for Pope Francis I and pray that he is not too late to save Catholicism. My church needs to reject its orthodox ways and embrace, as Pope Francis called for, a period of change, if not radical change. Much like Jesus when he embarked on radical change, it will not be easy.
