Why do I care? He is the leader of billions of people on the planet. That makes him important, regardless of your religion. The man's got power. Serious ass power.
Also, I have great affection for religious leaders. Priests (of all varieties), Imams, Rabbis, Nuns, Ministers, Priestesses ... I love them as a group. Of course, I have absolutely met religious leaders that I didn't like as people. As a group? Great affection. And I want them to love me, too. That's the kicker.
It is hard to find a religious leader who loves me for me. Who accepts me for me. Who doesn't want to convert me, or fix me, or tell me I'm wrong. I'm Pagan. I'm female. I'm not exactly heteronormative. I associate with people who are even less traditionally religiously acceptable than I am, and none of us really give a damn.
For now, an hour into his...reign? term? appointment? whatever it's called... I will stay excited. Stay pleased. I pray to the Goddess that he is a good man, who will love me, as much as I want to love him.
Come on, Francis, I'm pulling for ya!
Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.
ETA at 4:22 ~ Well...shit. Apparently, he is openly anti-gay marriage. Honestly, this in and of itself is not a turning point for me. I don't happen to believe that marriage should be the most important issue facing the LGBTQ community. I'm more concerned with safety and job discrimination than just marriage. What is concerning to me is that he also considers gay adoption a form of discrimination against children. Hmmm... Okay, Francis, I've gone from pulling for you to praying for you. You can do this. You really, really can.
4 comments:
He cares for the poor. He's humble. He's the first Latin American pope ever and the first non-European in a millenium. He chose the name Francis. First Jesuit pope. And those issues you mention? Disappointing, to be sure. But given the available pool of candidates, would have been the exactly same whoever was chosen. They could have done worse.
Mike ~ There is indeed much to be excited about here. His humility was breath-taking. His long-standing work with the poor is truly Christ-like. And yes, they could've done much, much worse.
That's very ecumenical of you, dear friend. I'm impressed.
I am afraid the election (or whatever) of a new pope doesn't matter a fig to me, so I guess I'm going to hell. I do hope he might bring about a bit of change to his club.
Ian ~ Please. If that's all it takes to go to hell, I'm on a nonrefundable ticket for a whole slew of other, bigger things. That being said, I do care because he has so much influence over so many. And everyone knows a pope's thoughts, feelings, and beliefs, so it informs the global conversation. All in all, I'm with you in hoping for change.
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