"He’s candid and not afraid"

Sarah MacDonald

"I grew up Protestant and still am, but some of my close friends were Catholic and to them pope was an important person but I didn’t know what he did. Pope Francis is the first one I’ve really been exposed to and he seems to speak about what is relevant in our lives, the struggles we face daily, and what we are afraid to talk about. He’s candid and not afraid of what he is going to say but always says it in a sort of loving way. Like what he said about if someone is gay is looking for God, I’m not going to judge. It’s pretty cool."

Pope Francis at his Wednesday audience October 2, 2013 showed this by explaining God’s mercy and acceptance of sinners. He said the Church “calls everyone to be wrapped by mercy, tenderness and the forgiveness of the Father, which gives everyone the chance to meet him, to walk towards holiness”. The Church is a home for the strong and the weak to be embraced by the love of God and none of the members of the church are free of sin and therefore do not have the right to turn other sinners away. This helps to explain the “who am I to judge” comment he made. It shows love and compassion for fellow man and an urgency for those in the church to show it to others. It is easy to love those who are like you but much more difficult to love those who are different.