Who is this man?
Did the conservative, crimson-garbed men
who elevated Francis to the papacy, in 2013, know
what they were getting? In the past four years, Francis
has spoken forcefully and forthrightly about the
world’s most urgent problems—the bankruptcy of freemarket
capitalism, the plight of migrants, the stresses of liberal
democracy, climate change, demagogic populism, economic
inequality. He has done all this with verve, good humor, and a
self-accepting modesty.
And, most important, he has been heard. The dangerous
currents of world politics have made him into a global tribune of
human aspiration; it is no longer news that the Pope is a true
Christian. Last week, Bruno Giussani, the European director of Ted,
said that “Francis has become possibly the only moral voice capable
of reaching people across boundaries and providing clarity and a
compelling message of hope.” -James Carroll
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