21 March 2013 HUGO MENDEZ
St. Francis of Assisi was born in the 12th century. As a young man, he felt called by the gospel to give up his possessions, and rebuild a ruined church in the countryside. He founded the Franciscan Order on the principles of poverty and service to the poor. Desiring to live "like the birds of the fields," he dressed in simple rags, and called the Church to return to simplicity, humility, and love.Recently the world was introduced to "Pope Francis," the newly-elected bishop of Rome. In keeping with the spirit of his namesake, Francis rebuked the worldliness of the Church in his first address: "When we journey without the Cross, when we build without the Cross, when we profess Christ without the Cross, we are not disciples of the Lord, we are worldly: we may be bishops, priests, cardinals, popes, but not disciples of the Lord." He is setting the tone for a deeply humble ministry, austere and evangelical. Before giving a blessing himself, he stunned millions, asking the city of Rome and the world to pray for him first. Though a pope, he refuses to set himself above other Christians; he silently kneeled before the world as millions prayed for him.
He has since declared it his mission to make the Catholic Church "a poor church for the poor": humbler, simpler, Galilean. He has insisted on riding in buses and humble sedans since being elected. He has personally paid his own bills. He rejects the more elaborate garments and shoes offered him. He has asked that people give money to aid the the poor and suffering rather than visit Rome. He has called the Church "to profess the one glory: Christ crucified," for only "in this way, the Church will go forward." In short, he has acted like a Christian.
Adventists have always admitted that there are true Christians within the Catholic Church. What if the Pope himself was one of them? What would that mean for Adventists?
"-Hugo Mendez," an Eastern Catholic, is an alumnus of Southern Adventist University". He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Linguistics at the University of Georgia."
READ MORE: http://spectrummagazine.org/blog/2013/03/21/pope-good-christianity.
