Why Bo Sanchez Loves the Pope

This was taken from the Soulfood Newsletter of Bo Sanchez:

WHY I LOVE THIS POPE

As a way of mourning for his death, I won’t be answering questions today.

The Pope isn’t the CEO of an organization, but our spiritual father.

And so we, his children, mourn.

In the past days, I’m sure you’ve read lots of stuff about what the Pope has done—his accomplishment, his legacy…

But I’d like to write my own list and tell you why I love this Pope…

1. He asked for forgiveness
   This tops my list. My knowledge of church history is rusty, but I can’t recall any other Pontiff asking forgiveness the way he did for the sins of the Church to humanity. I believe that a leader must be humble—and broken—or else he cannot serve well.
2. He reached out towards past “enemies”
   For two thousand years, there had been bloody wars and persecution between Catholics and Jews, and between Catholics and Muslims.
   So what did this Pope do? He was the first Pope to pray before the Wailing Wall of the Jews in Jerusalem. And he also was the first Pope to step into a mosque, and visit twenty Muslim countries in his pontificate.
3. He went out of his way to meet people.
   He didn’t wait in Rome for the people to come to him—as the past Popes have done. Instead, he had 104 pastoral visits across the globe.
4. He took the side of the poor.
   He urged the rich nations to forgive the debt of poor nations. He also urged a more humane globalization—and rejected the aggressive globalization espoused by the West.
5. He said “no” to the Iraq war.
   He took a tough stand. Through a special envoy, he told President Bush that the war cannot be justified legally or morally. He basically told him that if he invaded Iraq, God won’t be on his side.
6. He championed human rights—including those of the unborn
   The Pope stood his ground and fought the culture of death in every front. He didn’t flinch in his belief in the sanctity of life—from conception to natural death.
7. He served amidst his own suffering.
   Aside from the burden of being Pope over a billion Catholics, he had serious health problems. Aside from an assassination attempt that weakened him, he also suffered Parkinson’s disease. Yet he continued to serve to the very end.

I could go on and on, because he was one of the greatest men who ever lived in recent times. But all the praise in the world won’t mean a thing to him.

The best way to appreciate the man is to follow his example. ",1] ); //-->
This tops my list. My knowledge of church history is rusty, but I can’t recall any other Pontiff asking forgiveness the way he did for the sins of the Church to humanity. I believe that a leader must be humble—and broken—or else he cannot serve well.

He reached out towards past “enemies”
For two thousand years, there had been bloody wars and persecution between Catholics and Jews, and between Catholics and Muslims.
So what did this Pope do? He was the first Pope to pray before the Wailing Wall of the Jews in Jerusalem. And he also was the first Pope to step into a mosque, and visit twenty Muslim countries in his pontificate.

He went out of his way to meet people.
He didn’t wait in Rome for the people to come to him—as the past Popes have done. Instead, he had 104 pastoral visits across the globe.

He took the side of the poor.
He urged the rich nations to forgive the debt of poor nations. He also urged a more humane globalization—and rejected the aggressive globalization espoused by the West.

He said “no” to the Iraq war.
He took a tough stand. Through a special envoy, he told President Bush that the war cannot be justified legally or morally. He basically told him that if he invaded Iraq, God won’t be on his side.

He championed human rights—including those of the unborn
The Pope stood his ground and fought the culture of death in every front. He didn’t flinch in his belief in the sanctity of life—from conception to natural death.

He served amidst his own suffering.
Aside from the burden of being Pope over a billion Catholics, he had serious health problems. Aside from an assassination attempt that weakened him, he also suffered Parkinson’s disease. Yet he continued to serve to the very end.

I could go on and on, because he was one of the greatest men who ever lived in recent times. But all the praise in the world won’t mean a thing to him.

The best way to appreciate the man is to follow his example.
To ask for forgiveness.

To reach out to past enemies.

To go out of our way to meet people.

You can write me at bomail@shepherdsvoice.com.ph I remain your friend,

Bo Sanchez

---