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A key and most relevant question Pope Francis should discern is this:. What would Jesus say about the Catholic Church today and why, more than 2,000 years after His resurrection, poverty continues unabated in the world?
ReplyDeleteJesus -- and St. Francis of Assisi -- through their humility, simplicity and their teachings, showed us that caring for the poor should be the Catholic Church's priority.
However, while 22,000 children die each day due to poverty, 1.3 billion live below the extreme poverty line of less than US$ 1.25 a day, and another 2.6 billion live on less than US$ 2 a day, the Pope, the 180 cardinals, and the more than 5,200 Catholic bishops around the world spend little time on caring for the poor but huge sums on their attire: Pope -- mautum or papal mantal, capello romano, camauro, papal slippers, fanon, pallium, papal staff, ring of the fisherman, tiara, etc.; cardinals -- red galero with 15 tassels on each side, red cassock, white rochet, scarlet mozetta, scarlet biretta, scarlet zucchetto, pectoral cross, red piping on black cassock, scarlet fascinating; bishops -- ring, pectoral cross, purple vest font, crozier, etc. Then there are the Swiss Guards, the castle, the chauffeured limousines, the mansions, and their framed portrait photos in nearly every church around the world.
What would Jesus say about the grandeur and the humility of his shepherds?
Pope Francis has taken a few small steps to correct this, but he will have to take much bigger ones over the objections of those who say these are the Catholic Church's traditions -- objections likely from the self-serving, egotistical individuals who abound in the Catholic hierarchy. But should not the Catholic Church's tradition begin with Jesus Himself who wore simple clothes and sandals?
And why do we kiss the rings -- inanimate objects -- of the Pope, cardinals and bishops? Does this not distract from our reverence of God?
What about the salutations -- "His Holiness", "Your Excellency", "Very Reverend", etc. -- and calling priests "father" when there is only one one Father -- in the Holy Trinity? Presumptuous salutations lacking humility? What would Jesus say?
If Pope Francis wants to associate the church with the poor, he will have to get ALL the cardinals and bishops to be on the ground-level and in sync with the poor . . . in the attire of the poor to gain any credibility.
Ben Pires
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada