This year has been eventful for Pope Francis in his first year has Pontiff. He has definitely turned the Catholic church on its ear and has made a lot of conservatives pay attention to him. Bearing that? in mind, here are ten amazing things that Pope Francis has done this year alone.? I hope he continues to make the positive changes that has begun under his tutelage and that they reach many other people.
1) He invited homeless men to his birthday meal.
On his birthday this year, Pope Francis invited some homeless men to mass and a birthday breakfast at St. Martha’s Residence where he has been staying, spurning the Apostolic Palace where the leaders of the Catholic Church usually live.
2) He condemned capitalism.
Pope Francis also condemned market based capitalism and trickle down economics as evil earlier this year. That then resulted in Rush Limbaugh calling him a Marxist.
3) He fired a conservative cardinal and replaced him with a moderate one.
Pope Francis replaced cardinal Burke with Cardinal Wuerl– the cardinal that, four years ago, Cardinal Burke condemned as weak for not refusing communion to pro choice politicians. Cardinal Burke is conservative, while Cardinal Wuerl is a moderate.
4) He hugged a severely disfigured man.
Pope Francis was approached by a man with tumors all over his body and that were quite obvious. Rather than reject him as so many others had, he embraced the man closely.
5) He took a selfie with some young folks.
On a pilgrimage to his namesake’s hometown, Pope Francis took a moment to pause and take a selfie with some young people.
6) He reached out to agnostics and atheists.
Pope Francis has reached out to agnostics and atheists, saying that, if a person obeys their conscience, they will be forgiven.
7) He snuck out as a priest to help the homeless and hungry.
Pope Francis, during his days as a priest, would slip out to give money to those in need in the dead of night. He would even sit and share meals with those who Jesus consider the least of these. Later, once he became Pontiff, he was unable to do that, so, instead, sent out the man who was to reach the poor on behalf of the Church.
8) He washed the feet of women.
Pope Francis washed the feet of several women on Holy Thursday. The people that were chosen were prisoners, instead of the traditional priests, and many were women.
9) He encouraged the protection of the Amazon Rainforest.
He urged that the rainforest be cared for as a garden, instead of blatantly destroyed as it has been in recent decades.
10) He called and comforted a victim of rape- personally.
On Sunday, August 25, 2013, Pope Francis reached out to Alejandra Pereya. She wrote a letter to him, seeking encouragement, comfort, and love. Her story struck him so, that she soon received a phone call from him personally. He then consoled her and comforted her, giving her strength to carry on fighting.
Edited/Published by: SB
