Pope Francis: Dialogue in the center of his pastoral journey
2015-10-04 04:16:08 Written by Desbele Kahsai Published in English Articles Read 2261 times-
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“It is good to be a Catholic at this time."
Iman Khalid Latiff, NYU
The visitation of Pope Francis in the USA last week touched people of all faiths and diversities. His mass services, public speeches, visitation to the jail and the homeless luncheon attracted not just faithful Catholics, but interfaith masses. Spiritually, he truly walks the life of Jesus Christ. Politically and socially, he centered his policy under dialogue and inclusiveness.
Glued on TV watching the Interfaith Prayer Service hosted by his Holiness in Ground Zero, New York, was beyond emotion. It was a communion of different faith leaders remembering the 9/11 casualties in spiritual and brotherly tone. It was a moving moment to watch Imam Khalid Latiff passing well wishing card to Pope Francis, and his Holiness accepting it with a booming smile, his signature. What does his Holiness teach us from his pastoral journey? Dialogue and inclusiveness.
Naturally, when the political situation of a country hits abyss, nationals wake up from the slump in urgency to resurrect their countrymen. At this juncture, instead of building bridges, we continue building walls of separation, the root cause of mistrust. This act is emboldening the dictator from his death bed. An open dialogue done with inclusiveness is our only revival to a victory lane.
Reaching out to every human being is at the center of the Pontiff’s mission. Of course, his Holiness does it from a spiritual aspect. Politically, it will also work equally. Human beings love to be touched, cared, respected, and loved. Truly, Pope Francis has made an impact on many people by caring about them, reaching them out, and telling them they are also loved by God.
In conclusion, as many faithful Catholics have felt, I also felt it is good time to be a Catholic. It is good feeling to see many people from all walks of life to express their admiration of his humility, love and compassion. It was a memory that took me back to my childhood roots in the Combonian compounds in Decamere. He had a message for everyone that we are all sons and daughters of God and can overcome all our issues in this life through dialogue.
