"Non-Catholics are interested and paying attention"

Stephanie Kelly

I used to be more involved with my faith, but now that I'm working and not studying, I find it more difficult to find opportunities to engage with people my age about faith. Right now, I attend weekly Mass and try to have a consistent prayer life. I grew up Catholic and have been blessed to have a lot of inspiring and faithful people around me. That's been really influential. Wh I first saw Pope Francis I remember thinking “who is this guy?” It wasn't what I was used to seeing. I had a lot of friends and classmates at the time who were really intrigued with what appeared to be a new model for the church. I loved him from the start. His humility is what struck me most. I remember hearing about how he chose to live a simple life of poverty and really respected that. I also love his focus on social justice and helping the poor through action not just money. Non-Catholics are interested and paying attention. That never happens. I imagine a similar phenomenon is happening with Catholic and Christian youth. I think youth need to focus on unity and think of what he share with other faiths. There has been too much division and pride in the past. If I had the chance to meet I I would say, If you had to say one prayer every day, what would it be? Do you ever wonder if we have it all wrong?

A quick Google search of “Pope Francis” finds articles about Pope Francis from news sites like CBC, National Geographic, The New Yorker and Vanity Fair on the first page. Everyone seems to want to know what this pope will do next. Catholics and Non-Catholics alike are talking about what Pope Francis is doing and how he is changing the Church. Every couple of months he seems to be making headlines and nearly everyone knows, “If someone is gay and seeks the Lord who am I to judge.” This famous quote was said near the beginning of his pontificate and has continued to be a trend. He will reiterate a teaching of the Church in a new and creative way, not changing the teaching, but altering the way it is said making people listen to him. His way with the media highlights the love and mercy his pontificate has been based upon allowing the message to be spread to the world at large.