Pope Francis as a metaphor for changing times in the Roman Catholic Church

By Atim Nkese Nkpubre

The emergence of Pope Francis as the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church has ended the debate about who would become the new Bishop of Rome, as the Pope is known, following the retirement of Pope Benedict, who left the papacy last month, to begin the first papal retirement in 600 years. Interesting times of drastic changes are here.

Pope Francis, formerly Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, the 266th Roman Catholic Pontiff, has begun work in earnest after the surprise election to papacy. He is said to be the first non-European Pope in 1,300 years!
The quiet man of Buenos Aires known for his humble tastes is firmly on the saddle. On his first day in office, Pope Francis had stopped to pick up his belongings from a hotel, personally settling his bills. It would appear the new Pope is a metaphor for simplicity and change just as it’s up to him to set the agenda.
Many believe that the ascension of Pope Francis is likely to usher in the most radical change in the Catholic Church in more than 50 years. “Zero tolerance of sexual abuse, stricter control of church finances, a shift away from Eurocentrism, more emphasis on poverty and a ruthless purge of high-ranking opponents in the Vatican be expected in the years ahead,” according to priests and laymen who have spent decades watching the career of the first Latin American Pope.
Below is what we know about Pope Francis, as culled from guardian.co.uk:
• He likes to travel by bus.
• He has lived for more than 50 years with one functioning lung. He had the other removed as a young man because of infection.
• He is the son of an Italian railway worker.
• He trained as a chemist.
• He is the first non-European Pope in the modern era.
• He claims that adoption by homosexuals is a form of discrimination against children but believes that condoms “can be permissible” to prevent infection.
• In 2001, he washed and kissed the feet of AIDS patients in a hospice.
• He speaks fluent Italian as well as Spanish and German.
• Until now he has been living in a small flat, eschewing a formal Bishop’s residence.
• He told Argentines not to travel to Rome to celebrate if he was appointed but to give their money to the poor instead.
• He is believed to have been the runner-up in the last papal conclave in 2005.
• He has co-written a book in Spanish, called Sobre el Cielo la Tierra (On Heaven and Earth). You can buy it on Kindle.
• Though conservative on church doctrine, he has criticised priests who refuse to baptise babies born to single mothers.
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