A Beginning

I have to say that I have been thoroughly impressed by Pope Francis.

Since his election his attitudes and more importantly, his examples have given me the hope that the Catholic church is going to get the long needed reboot that its been waiting for.

O.K I'll admit that he's not budging on the Catholics stance on woman in the clergy or abortion.  Personally though, I agree that abortion has become too easy and that not enough thought is put into the fact that it is a baby that is killed.

Before someone else can say it, to those women who say "it's my body" I'd like to point out one thing - if your immunity system knew that the baby was there it would view the baby as an invading disease and kill it.  A baby is genetically different from both parents and therefore is a separate, living entity from the moment of conception.

However, in a change from his predecessors Pope Francis has said:

"it is also true that we have done little to adequately accompany women in very difficult situations,... especially when the life developing within them is the result of rape or a situation of extreme poverty".
"Who can remain unmoved before such painful situations?"

That is more than many in the Vatican has given in the past.

However, what has impressed me more than anything has been his efforts to decentralize the Catholic church.  For too long the church has been this huge, distant figure of authority that nobody can relate to and therefore, don't respect.  Personally that is what has lead to the flood of apathy which is drowning the church in the so-called Christian West.  While the church is preaching one thing to the masses and yet is living securely behind it's high, rich walls people are going to drift away.

Pope Francis seems to be the greatest chance to change this destructive trend and I wish him great success in it.  If the church can reawaken it's original purpose i.e. 'those that have give to the have nots', then perhaps it can be the answer to the selfish agendas that the current crop of politicians seem to be set upon.  And even if it can't then I agree with Pope Francis on this:

"In his "apostolic exhortation", Pope Francis said he preferred a Church that was "bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security"."

The failure is not the one who did not succeed.  The failure is the one who didn't try in the first place.