I Am A Fan Of Pope Francis

“Who am I to judge?”

Pope Francis seems to be taking the world by storm. He’s shaking things up. He’s stirring up some much needed conversations in the Catholic church and I LOVE it! In fact, he’s causing a stir among MORE than just the church. He’s grabbed the attention of the ENTIRE world with his SIMPLE approach to ministry (i.e. being the pope).

The quote above was taken from a recent interview with Francis when asked about his position on gay priests. His response…

“If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord
and has good will, who am I to judge?”

I find this statement incredibly encouraging. It’s a message of LOVE, not condemnation. Now, I’m sure there are people who will read this and think Francis is skirting around the issue or he didn’t really address it or he’s homophobic or he’s old… however, I would like to suggest his response has BIGGER and GREATER ramifications than we could possibly fathom at this time.

The Church, yes the big “C” universal Church, has been known to be a tad judgmental and condemning and closed-doored when it comes to people who are NOT LIKE US.

You’re not dressed right.

You don’t pray right.

You don’t talk like we do.

You don’t look like we do.

You don’t act like we do.

You’re not supposed to open your eyes while praying.

You were on your phone.

You’re wearing dirty clothes.

You look like you’re homeless.

You’re divorced.

You’re an addict.

You’re black.

You’re gay.

The list goes on and on and on and on. We point our fingers and send people away. We run and hide so as not to get our hands dirty when it was Jesus who knelt down and cleaned the feet of his disciples (feet dude… feet).

I think Francis sees the bigger picture. It’s not about the LABELS you've been given and what you’ve DONE, it’s about who you KNOW and who you’re LIVING FOR. Everyone struggles. E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E. Even Francis in all his pope-ness struggles (he’s just a man).

Condemnation has a tendency to PUSH PEOPLE AWAY.

Love has a tendency to BRING PEOPLE IN.

Jesus said, “follow me” not “get away you’re not like me.”

Reflect:

• Who are the people in your life that you’ve pushed away or turned your back on simply because they’re different?
• What relationships have been damaged by misplaced judgment and condemnation?
• What would happen if church people stopped JUDGING and started LOVING people?