Pope Francis in 2013

 Pope Francis in 2013

 

Pope Francis has been declared Time’s Person Of The Year. Looking back on 2013,

he has done some incredibly progressive things to lead the Church. 1. He spoke out against frivolous spending by the Church

the Popemobile Source: thehindu.com During a general audience, Pope Francis invited Alberto di Tullio, a 17-year-old boy

with Downs Syndrome, to ride in his Popemobile while thousands watched. The boy

and his father were said to be "chocked up" when he was embraced by the Pope. Source: cbsnews.com 3. He embraced and kissed Vinicio Riva Source: huffpost.com November saw Pope Francis embrace Vinicio Riva, a man scarred

by a genetic disease. Fighting agonising pain on a daily basis, such

an act restored the faith of a man who says he is often mocked

in public. Source: cnn.com 4. He denounced the judgment of homosexuals Source: cnn.com Pope Francis has stated several times that the Church has no right to interfere

spiritually in the lives of gays and lesbians. Though Francis maintained the right

of the Church to express opinions on homosexuality, he believed that Christians

should not judge or ridicule. This led to The Advocate, a gay  rights magazine,

naming Francis the 'single most influential person of 2013 on the lives of LGBT people.' Source: cnn.com 5. He held a major ceremony at the chapel of a

youth prison Source: incarnationparish.org In March, the Pope held a major Holy Week service at Casal del Marmo jail

for minors, rather than the Vatican. During the service, the pope washed and

kissed the feet of 12 young offenders to commemorate Jesus' gesture of humility

towards his apostles on the night before he died. During the service, he broke

tradition by washing the feet of women and Muslims. Source: reuters.com 6. He urged the protection of the Amazon Rainforest

Source: nationalpost.com During his visit to Brazil, Pope Francis met with natives who have been fighting

ranchers and farmers attempting to invade their land. He encouraged that the

Amazon be treated as a garden and protected, along with it's native people. Source: nationalpost.com 7. He personally called and consoled a victim of rape

Source: catholicvirtue.org A 44-year old Argentinian woman, raped by a local policeman, was one of thousands

to write a letter to Pope Francis in 2013. The woman was surprised when she later received

a phone call from Francis himself--who consoled the woman and told her, “You are not alone.” Source: catholicvirtue.org 8. He snuck out of the Vatican to feed the homeless

Source: newsfirst.lk More recently, it has been discovered that Pope Francis regularly leaves the Vatican

at night to feed the homeless. Dressed as an ordinary priest, he joins Archbishop Konrad

Krajewski to feed the poor of Rome.  Source: huffingtonpost.com 9. He auctioned his motorcycle to benefit the homeless

Source: dailymail.co.uk In October, Francis donated his own Harley Davidson motorcycle to fund a hostel

and soup kitchen in Rome. Source: ncregister.com 10. He acknowledged that atheists can be good people

Source: mercopress.com Earlier in 2013,  Pope Francis spoke out against the common interpretation within

the Church that atheists, by nature, are bad people. He stated that, “Atheists should be

seen as good people if they do good.” After meeting the Pope, the openly atheist

president of Uruguay, Jose Mujica, compared Francis to a friendly neighbor.  Source: theguardian.com   11. He condemned the global financial system

Source: tempo.co In May, Francis denounced the global financial system for tyrannizing the poor

and turning humans into expendable consumer goods. He believes that, “Money

has to serve, not to rule!" Source: timesofmalta.com 12. He fought child abuse Source: bbcimg.co.uk The Catholic Church has been rocked in recent years by allegations and admissions

of child abuse by members of the Church. Pope Francis became the first Pope to take

effective action against such atrocities. He ammended Vatican law to make sexual

abuse of children a crime, and he also established a committee to fight abuse. Source: bbc.co.uk 13. He condemned the violence of the Syrian civil war

Source: blogspot.com In regard to the use of chemical weapons in Syria, Pope Francis asked for peace and declared

that, "War, never again. Violence never leads to peace, war leads to war, violence

leads to violence.” Source: reuters.com 14. He redirected employee bonuses to charity

Source: ibtimes.com When a new Pope is elected, Vatican employees receive a bonus. Upon his election,

the extra money was given to directly to charity instead. Source: washingtonpost.com 15. He spoke out against the Church’s ‘obsession’

with abortion, gay marriage and contraception Source: indiatimes.in In a voice of reason, Francis shocked the Catholic world when he stated that