Pope Francis 프란치스코 교황

“Pope Francis: A Man of His Word” has been released in Korea. It is a documentary film featuring exclusive interviews with the Pope for 96 minutes, directed by German filmmaker Wim Wenders, and co-produced by Swiss-Italian-French-German production. It first premiered at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.

Pope Francis is the 266th pontiff of the Catholic Church, the first Jesuit pope from outside Europe, coming from South America.

He was born as the eldest of five children on Dec. 17, 1936, in Flores near Buenos Aires, Argentina. Before entering the Society of Jesuits in 1958, he had various experiences including as a bar bouncer and a janitor sweeping floors. He is also a fan of football and tango dancing.

He was ordained a priest in 1969 and became the archbishop of the slums in 1998 and a cardinal in 2001. He used to cook his own meals and take public transportation. Like before, he still visits jails, hospitals, retirement homes, and slums. He often reminds us that the first saint was a prisoner condemned to death on the right side of Jesus on the cross.

Following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI in 2013, he was elected as pope at the age of 76, and he chose “Francis” as his papal name in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, a 12th-century Catholic friar who renounced wealth to devote himself to Christ, loved nature and reformed the church.

Pope Francis is noted for his humility, emphasis on God’s mercy, concern for the poor, migrants, and refugees, commitment to interfaith dialogue and social justice, building bridges, and integrating women into all aspects of life.

He became a witness of truth by choosing to reside in the Domus Sanctae Marthae guesthouse, opposing consumerism and overdevelopment, using a small car, having empathy and sympathy with those in need, taking concrete action on climate change and the environment through his encyclicals “Laudato Si (Praise Be to You)” and “Nostra Madre Terra (Our Mother Earth)” on care for our common home.

As he says, “There is nothing mine in this world.” He lives simply and frugally. With warm-hearted smiles, he is deeply involved in our ordinary lives.

His reflections and messages regarding social justice, immigration, ecology, wealth inequality, materialism, consumerism, and the role of the family are so compelling that lots of people are following him beyond the boundaries.

Joy, a sense of humor, hope, mercy, peace, and listening are some keywords in his works. He ponders that “a smile is a flower of the heart.” So he practices smiling every day. And each morning he recites St. Thomas More’s prayer for good humor: “Grant me, O Lord, good digestion, and also something to digest. Grant me a healthy body, and the necessary good humor to maintain it. Grant me a simple soul that knows to treasure all that is good and that doesn’t frighten easily at the sight of evil, but rather finds the means to put things back in their place. Give me a soul that knows not boredom, grumblings, sighs, and laments, nor excess of stress, because of that obstructing thing called ‘I.’ Grant me, O Lord, a sense of good humor. Allow me the grace to be able to take a joke to discover in life a bit of joy, and to be able to share it with others.”

 https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/opinion/2019/12/162_279527.html

                           The Korea Times/ Thoughts of the times/ Dec 1(online)/ 2(offline), 2019