BOSTON (MA)
Crux
By Michael O’Loughlin
National reporter September 12, 2014
Because Pope Francis “walks his own talk,” as Crux associate editor John L. Allen Jr. put it Thursday night during a panel at Boston College, he’s won over the hearts of millions of Catholics. But there are many challenges left to confront – challenges with the potential to shape the church in Francis’ vision.
“Pope Francis has brought hope to people’s lives and has compelled many people to take a look at the church again,” according to Cardinal Sean O’Malley, archbishop of Boston and a personal advisor to the pope.
The panel, “A Pope for the 21st Century,” focused on the pope’s popularity and his vision for the Church. The event marked the launch of Crux, a new website covering the Vatican and the Catholic Church, a project of the Boston Globe.
O’Malley, revealing that he communicates with the pope by fax — “It goes right to his room, he responds right away, and you don’t have to worry about differences in time” — called Francis “certainly one of the most extraordinary leaders of our day” and “thoroughly Argentinian. He loves tango, soccer, and matte.”
Did Cardinals know what they were getting when they elected Francis? “Obviously, he is the man of surprises, and he’s done so many things that no one could have forecasted,” O’Malley said.
Several panelists said the pope’s emphasis on joy and mercy provides an opportunity to heal divisions in the Church, but they were asked about several hot-button issues, including immigration, the firing of openly gay employees from Catholic institutions, the role of women and the laity in the church, and political discourse.
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