This Pope Rocks

Only a man of great mental refinement and personal charm could have managed to raise both Democrats and Republicans from their seats, alternatively, during a 50-minute speech given in heavily-accented English.

While preparing a report on Uruguay –including an interview with maverick ex-president Pepe Mujica–, I spent the spring of 2014 in Buenos Aires. First on my “Baires” Update List was the neighborhood where Pope Francis was born and raised as a normal kid called Jorge Mario Bergoglio. The “barrio” of San José de Flores –called simply “Flores”, which means flowers– is the third most populated department of the Argentina capital city. Flores is a well-known but not so well-to-do neighborhood of two-story houses and small shops whose owners don’t hesitate to walk out of their establishments to attract customers. The little house on 531 Membrillar Street where Pope Francis lived as a boy was demolished years ago, but the streets where he played soccer are well kept, as is the 18^th century Basilica where one day, unexpectedly, seventeen-year-old Jorge saw the light and recognized his calling as a minister of God.

So, knowing all this, it’s fair to say that the journey from Flores to the Vatican has been a long and winding road. And one’s admiration –as a Christian atheist– for this Pope reached its peak after the recent Capitol Hill appearance. Only a man of great mental refinement and personal charm could have managed to raise both Democrats and Republicans from their seats, alternatively, during a 50-minute speech given in heavily-accented English. The enthusiasm was such that he got 40 standing ovations on a wide array of subjects such as immigration, abortion, terrorism, climate change, family values, homosexuality, liberty, plurality, social justice, technology and global interaction. What makes Francis unique is the interactive way he uses his power as a conscience awakener, stubbornly disdaining the option of preaching morals from an ivory pulpit. This skill is, of course, not human at all.