The New Pope , and what it means.

The Catholic Church has a new Pope , but is this a sign
of a break with Catholic tradition?

The Roman Catholic Church now has a new Pope . There are some startling facts about Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina. There is already "talk" that the new Pope is hiding a vary liberal veneer underneath . First of all is the name he chose. He called himself Francis I. That is a break from along tradition  of Latin dominated names of Popes . We have had our Leo's , Pius's , Benedict's and Clement's. Centuries of European dominated Popes came to a crash with the election of Cardinal Bergoglio. Is that a sure sign of a turn around for the Catholic Church . Will this Pope bring the Church into the 21st Century and  reform a rather backward institution ? Here is some investigative reporting on Francis I. Why was everyone talking about liberation theology? Because Francis comes from Latin America, the cradle of (one iteration of) the liberation theology movement. The new pope has also made some pretty progressive-sounding statements -- to American ears, anyway -- about neoliberalism, the poor, and Argentina's debt. But as the story worked its way through the news cycle, an examination of Francis's record showed public attempts to distance himself from liberation theology. And the Argentinian priest who publicly embraced a progressive social justice agenda has been labeled a conservative by many -- in some cases, relabeled by the same media outlets that asked earlier if he was a progressive.This pope's more "liberal" than the last. He's more of a 16th century man than a 12th century one. More seriously, though, viewing this pope or any institutionalized church as "liberal" or "conservative" in sociopolitical terms, as the media tends to do all too often, is misleading at best. World leaders were quick to welcome the new Catholic leader. Argentine President Cristina Fernández was among the first to congratulate the new Catholic leader. British PM David Cameron said Wednesday was "a momentous day for the 1.2 billion Catholics around the world." In a statement, U.S. President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle, too, offered their best wishes to the new Pope.  **Obama added:

As a champion of the poor and the most vulnerable among us, he carries forth the message of love and compassion that has inspired the world for more than two thousand years—that in each other we see the face of God. As the first pope from the Americas, his selection also speaks to the strength and vitality of a region that is increasingly shaping our world, and alongside millions of Hispanic Americans, those of us in the United States share the joy of this historic day.

 Come Tuesday, St. Peter's Square will again bustle with the faithful, tourists and locals during the official Mass to inaugurate Francis as the bishop of Rome.The choice of day to anoint him as the holy father of the Roman Catholic Church carries a rich symbolism: It is the day that Catholics celebrate the Feast of St. Joseph to honor Jesus' father on Earth, the carpenter Joseph. It also happens to be Father's Day in Italy.Foreign dignitaries and heads of state are welcome to attend but by tradition don't receive a specific invitation, Lombardi said.U.S. Vice President Joe Biden is to lead the U.S. presidential delegation for the Mass, the White House said Friday, with House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi also among the party. On Friday, House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican, said he will send a separate bipartisan congressional delegation. Only a few weeks after his questionable attempt to spread world peace via bringing “basketball diplomacy” to North Korea, eccentric 90s-era basketball star Dennis Rodman has announced an ambitious follow-up: an audience with the new pope. Rodman, who came back to the U.S.singing praises of one of the most reviled men on Earth, Kim Jong Un, told TMZ, “I want to be anywhere in the world that I’m needed … I want to spread a message of peace and love throughout the world.”.  Rodman is on his way to Rome...........

NOTES AND COMMENTS:

** The reason Obama thinks it’s o.k. to send Joe is because it doesn’t matter. Obama has no respect for the Pope or the Catholic Church. The Pope is a "political head of state" For the matter of fact . Not as much as a religious leader for many. VATICAN CITY is less than a mile as a nation within a nation . The Pope (pontiff ) is treated almost as if we were dealing with a 'King' . Stranger still . The MORMON church leaders,The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints welcomed Pope Francis and said they hope the two faiths can continue to work together on issues of faith, morality, and service to the poor and needy. “We look forward to pursuing together, as the Apostle Paul wrote, all things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely and of good report,” said a statement from the Mormon church. The Mormon Church once held that the Catholic Church was "The Great and Abominable Church" in the Book of Mormon and now the Mormons want to play nice?

Palpable irony.