Last month Rush Limbaugh called Pope Francis a Marxist. I was sad to see in this morning's paper that the Pope had bothered to respond.
Why do we insist on calling people what we think is the worst trait we perceive they have? We even do it to our kids. I know a man who calls his overweight daughter "Tubs."
Pope Francis was just voted Time Magazine's "Person of the Year." While I'm not a Catholic, here are some of the names I like to call him:
Francis the Humble. He chose his name to identify himself with one of the greatest but most humble saints of the church.
Keeper of the Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. Again, I'm not a Catholic but I know this became his title when he inherited the throne of St. Peter.
The People's Pope. Francis is wildly popular among Catholics around the world and has the approval of 58% of non Catholic Americans.
Francis the Peacemaker.
Francis the Compassionate. While he is holding the line on women's rights and gay rights, he's expressing compassion for all of us. His most famous recent quote: "Who am I to judge?"
While Pope Francis is most definitely not a Marxist, he was, as a young man, a nightclub bouncer. This may help him as time moves on.
***
Why do we insist on calling people what we think is the worst trait we perceive they have? We even do it to our kids. I know a man who calls his overweight daughter "Tubs." Pope Francis was just voted Time Magazine's "Person of the Year." While I'm not a Catholic, here are some of the names I like to call him:
Francis the Humble. He chose his name to identify himself with one of the greatest but most humble saints of the church.
Keeper of the Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. Again, I'm not a Catholic but I know this became his title when he inherited the throne of St. Peter.
The People's Pope. Francis is wildly popular among Catholics around the world and has the approval of 58% of non Catholic Americans.
Francis the Peacemaker.
Francis the Compassionate. While he is holding the line on women's rights and gay rights, he's expressing compassion for all of us. His most famous recent quote: "Who am I to judge?"
While Pope Francis is most definitely not a Marxist, he was, as a young man, a nightclub bouncer. This may help him as time moves on.
***
