Time Magazine names Pope Francis "Person of the Year"

Tough to argue with this choice. He's really turned around the image of the papacy, the Catholic Church and, to a degree, Christianity in general.

But what makes this Pope so important is the speed with which he has captured the imaginations of millions who had given up on hoping for the church at all. People weary of the endless parsing of sexual ethics, the buck-passing infighting over lines of authority when all the while (to borrow from Milton), “the hungry Sheep look up, and are not fed.” In a matter of months, Francis has elevated the healing mission of the church—the church as servant and comforter of hurting people in an often harsh world—above the doctrinal police work so important to his recent predecessors. John Paul II and Benedict XVI were professors of theology. Francis is a former janitor, nightclub bouncer, chemical technician and literature teacher. (Source)

I've liked what he has had to say, and how he presents himself, right from the start. He is humble, serving, outspoken and forthright. While there is nothing that he's said or done that his predecessors could not have also done, the fact remains that he IS doing something, speaking out about social issues and setting the church aright.

He even fired the Bishop of Bling, sent him packing to a monastery, and turned his house into a soup kitchen. I'm guessing that we'll see a lot more of that from Francis, and what's not to like about that?

(Cue the detractors to complain that he hasn't sold off all Vatican assets yet, lol)

Should have been Snowden. Except for damage control, what did the new Pope really do? The new Pope is just a PR campaigner.
Snowden on the other hand, was (I believe) the voice that the powers, that be, decided to use to announce the current status quo of our rights and privacy. Snowden is probably the most important media icon of the 21st century, so far.
Runner up-Edward Snowden

reply to post by adjensen


So many more people deserving of this title...the pope already gets enough recognition.

How about your average citizen working in his or her community helping to make the lives better for the ones around them? Wouldn't this be more of an inspiration?

reply to post by adjensen


As an atheist, I approve of this. Pope Francis has more than earned his recognition. I just hope that he continues to lead by such an example to the end of his days.

Whoever Time Magazine has as Person of the Year has to be watched. And not in a good way. Check the list.....

en.wikipedia.org...

reply to post by adjensen


Well, His Holiness can sleep with a smile on his Papal face this evening knowing he is in such esteemed company as:

1. Henry Kissenger
2. Mark Zuckerberg
3. Ben Bernanke
4. Richard Nixon
5. LBJ
6. Bush JNR and SNR
7. That bloke with the side combover and funny little moustache..... ah yes Hitler.

among others of course...... Seems though, being elected POTUS automatically gets you the title of POTY.
Now my 11 month old daughter likes her POTY... oh no sorry, that's POTTY.
Now a really cool thing to do would be to politely refuse to accept such an accolade. After all, he is just doing his job.
en.wikipedia.org...

reply to post by DrunkYogi


Morning,

I agree.
There's only one thing Time Magazine is good for...

www.youtube.com...

-Peace-

AfterInfinity
As an atheist, I approve of this. Pope Francis has more than earned his recognition. I just hope that he continues to lead by such an example to the end of his days.

AfterInfinity
I have a natural affinity for spotting patterns, so once I have observed a pattern, you can't hide it from me, no matter how much BS you slather on top of it.

I do genuinely hope you are correct and this time the pattern unfolds differently.

Regardless of one's religion, if any, you cannot quarrel with the social values Francis is very vocally trying to advance. He is just about the only person in the world in a position to make a global difference and the world will be a better place if he is successful. Great choice!

reply to post by Mufcutcakeyumyum


Way to cherry pick the list, lol.

Here's a different seven:

1) Gandhi
2) Truman
3) Churchill
4) "The American fighting-man"
5) "U.S. Scientists"
6) Martin Luther King
7) The Apollo 8 astronauts

Remember "Person of the Year" is judged on their impact, not on whether they are "good" or "bad".

As to Snowden, while I agree that he did the right thing, I suspect that the magazine passed him over because a) what he did was illegal; b) apart from an elevated understanding of the depth of US spying, nothing much has come from his leaks yet; and c) what he did was what was important, not who he is.

Never mind.

reply to post by adjensen


I know...... sorry.
Still though, a list is a list, all you did was mirror my list!

I suppose my point, being a little more serious, is that the Pope, whatever you may think about him, is supposedly God's representative on earth for the Catholic Church. As such, he is expected to perform certain duties in the pursuit of his chosen vocation. As, for that matter are all of the Presidents, and other world leaders.
I hold in higher esteem the entrants who may have appeared on the list as a result of rising to something above what their job demanded of them.


"Person of the Year (formerly Man of the Year) is an annual issue of the United States newsmagazine Time that features and profiles a person, group, idea or object that "for better or for worse, ...has done the most to influence the events of the year."

Now, according to this definition, there are some very nasty people who could maybe have been considered for the accolade since its conception......... Ones not on my list, or their list that is..

The photo of him on the cover of Time has his head placed in front of the "M", making it look like he has horns coming out of his head. Why would they do this, unless it was on purpose? These covers are scrutinized for accuracy and that is something very obvious...they could have lowered his head to where it didn't look like horns, but they didn't.

Pope Francis cover

reply to post by Mufcutcakeyumyum

I hold in higher esteem the entrants who may have appeared on the list as a result of rising to something above what their job demanded of them.

Well, you have a point, but I think that few people who have paid attention to the papacy wouldn't agree that Pope Francis is performing his job in a radically different manner than previous Popes. That he is recognized for it, so early in his office, bodes well for both him and the church (some of us have voiced concern that he may be in danger from rogue members of the curia, upset about the internal changes that he is making.)

The general population seems to agree -- on the Time.com web site, Francis was named as the best candidate by 59% of voters.

reply to post by BardingTheBard


So I take it you're referring to me as a wolf in sheep's skin? Good. I wouldn't want you to lower your guard around me. I bite.

It does not really even matter

Adolf Hitler: Man of the Year, 1938 - TIME

Good Choice. I'm SOOOOOO glad it wasn't MIley Cyrus.

Pope Francis is trying to steer the Catholic Church (1 billion members) in a new direction.
Some of what he's doing I really agree with. Some I really disagree with.
But either way, it's huge.

Pope Francis or Snowden or Putin .... any one of them would have been a good choice.

AfterInfinity
So I take it you're referring to me as a wolf in sheep's skin? Good. I wouldn't want you to lower your guard around me. I bite.

Only if your entire persona here is a lie... which I don't think is true so no... it wasn't referring to you. It was referring to your lack of recognition of the pattern of let's see...

The Vatican
The Jesuits
Time Magazine
"Cleaning up a public veneer without changing the true heart of the organization"
etc.

Perhaps it's true. Perhaps it's time... perhaps the entire Catholic Church is ready to change direction. I do think it's possible... but changing clothes (outer appearance) and providing food to people without also making the ability to feed themselves the true priority does not a transformation of the true nature make. The pattern does not hold.

I have no guard around you. I pretty much lay myself out there as openly and honestly and vulnerably as I can. I always speak to you as a friend... including under my three previous personas here.

CINY8
The photo of him on the cover of Time has his head placed in front of the "M", making it look like he has horns coming out of his head. Why would they do this, unless it was on purpose? These covers are scrutinized for accuracy and that is something very obvious...they could have lowered his head to where it didn't look like horns, but they didn't.

Pope Francis cover

Great observation!