Well Deserved

She'll look better holding her Emmy. Congrats Bernie on Game of Thrones!
 

Papa Francisco

Full disclosure. A Pagan Baby I was baptized Catholic, which was my mother's religion. I fell away early in life and my church visits involved only weddings or funerals. Francis fascinates me and I was obsessed with his first visit to the States. There's something about the impish smile, the brilliantly composed speeches, and his humble nature. The plastic Casio watch which he occasionally glanced at encapsulated the latter.  An MSNBC commentator called him the Anti Trump. A perfect description I thought. It was wonderful to hear and see Brian Williams again. His amusement at Fiat 1 was my amusement, his emotions when Francis kissed or touched the foreheads of those in wheel chairs, or the babies or the children were my emotions. My favorite images included The Pope and Obama roaring with laughter as they walked around the White House, the tears of the mother when he stopped his Fiat and walked over to kiss her son splayed hopelessly in his wheel chair ravaged by cerebral palsy, the thumbs up gestures to people in the massive crowds as he road in the Popemobile but my all time favorite was at the school in Harlem. It was the moment he was being shown the final school project which included a computerized display. The young African American girl who was showing him how to move an icon from one side of the screen to another was priceless. He tried twice unsuccessfully until she gently grabbed his arm and hand to guide him. You could see the concept click. He understood the process and finished dragging the icon to its proper place.  She was adorable, he a fairly quick learner and as a jesuit educated in science I could see he was fascinated by the whole thing. I'd wondered if he was able to see the Statue of Liberty and read this morning that on his helicopter ride in NYC had asked the pilot to do a flyover.  The gregarious and smile generating cardinal Dolan was quoted as saying, " he was very, very moved. " 

Now back in Rome I love reading that he was impressed by our warmth. As confession is part of the Catholic faith I confess his visit touched my inner soul. That shocked me. Maybe its time to reevaluate my core values and strive to be less angry and more human.