I am not the most religious person in the world.
I was baptized Catholic and attended CCD where I made all of my sacraments.
It is not that I do not believe in God, it is that I do not believe in some of the ridiculous beliefs of the Catholic religion that have been around since the start of the church’s 2,000-year-old history.
Anyway, the church surprised me on March 13, 2013 when 115 cardinals elected the newest vicar to God. Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina accepted his nomination and became Pope Francis I.
When Pope Benedict XVI resigned from his holy position, it only made me feel like the Catholic Church had become something of a novelty.
If a pope could just up and quit from the most divine position on earth with the drop of a hat, why should I look upon the Catholic religion as this divine power? With the election of a new pope there is always this show that is performed. There are robes inlaid with gold, there are rings and jewelry and cars that are bulletproof.
It is like more of a circus, then the celebration of history.
That is what I do not like about the Catholic religion. The Vatican can be so ostentatious at times, and it just makes me feel like they are contradicting what I am supposed to believe in. So when Pope Francis was elected, I was shocked. During his first address after being elected to the papacy, Pope Francis urged Catholics to leave their comfort zones.
He was not dressed in outrageous robes, but simply a white and red cassock. According to the Washington Post, he is the first Latin American pope, the first Francis and the first Jesuit pope.
His holiness chose to become Francis I, in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi, a saint who lived in poverty his whole life and only aided the poor and downtrodden. That is what Pope Francis wants to do, and that is something I love.
He refused all of the elaborate offerings of becoming pope, and seems to have a very laid back and modernistic approach.
People are criticizing him and the Catholic religion are questioning his abilities but, I think members of the Catholic religion should question their own.
This pope has entered the papacy in a chaotic time.The church is dealing with child sex abuse problems.
Reuter’s also spoke about disunity among members of the Vatican bureaucracy.
People are looking for someone to aid them, not an organization that needs someone to pray for them.
The Slate welcomes thoughtful discussion on all of our stories, but please keep comments civil and on-topic. Read our full guidelines here.