Letters on Pope Francis, expectations for Trump

Happy birthday, Pope Francis

I certainly wish Pope Francis a happy 80th birthday on Dec. 17. As pope, he has been more optimistic, humble and down-to-earth than many of his predecessors. I applaud his sincere and congenial approach to life.

As a Roman Catholic, I realize that the Church has “traditions,” but many of those customs and procedures in the liturgy were crafted piece by piece over centuries. Granted, I enjoy the vestments, the sacred rites, the solemn organ music and the protocol of the Mass. However, I applaud Pope Francis for welcoming Catholics and non-Catholics with open arms.

I have a few priest friends who wish Francis were “more conservative.” Personally, I think the words “conservative” and “liberal” shouldn’t be used in a theological setting. We are all sinners. The most important thing is that we strive as best we can to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Pope Francis recognizes that almighty God is the ultimate “judge.” I firmly believe that he is trying to teach us that we can instill faith in ourselves and in others when we set a good example and don’t “pontificate.”

I feel that another great virtue of Pope Francis is that he calls upon Catholics and non-Catholics to pray for him. That is a mark of humility we should all emulate. He has been more vigorous than I ever imagined, and I wish him many more healthy and productive years ahead.

God bless our Pope Francis. He may have been born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina in 1936, but he is truly “a global pope.” Pope Francis may stir headlines, but I consider that a good thing. It helps make humans think of life, death, morals, human generosity — and the omnipotence of almighty God, who sees all and knows all, including what is in our hearts.

Expectations for Trump

Expect more earthquakes, a climate that cooks and drowns us, disruption of international trade and perhaps hot wars, a support of dictatorships abroad and suppression at home – oh, and of course an acceleration of income inequality.

Trump has defined this path with the choices of the people he plans to place in his administration. Foolish climate change denial is front and center, with those who are in bed with the oil and gas industry poised to dismantle agencies and agreements designed to constructively address our killing of our planet and ourselves. The error of intentional stupidity in this and other areas may well result in irreversible harm and destruction for America and the rest of the world. Expect a president who pays less attention to his job than his business interests, and verbally abuses anyone who questions his intentional distortions of reality.

Sadly, expect him not to carry through on helping those who felt disenfranchised and supported him, and to never take responsibility or apologize for any harm that he has caused. Expect him not to be bothered to read intelligence briefings, and to continue acting like a bull in a china shop, particularly where China is concerned. We can count on reaping the whirlwind that his self-centered actions will create.

This story was originally published December 17, 2016 at 5:53 AM with the headline "Letters on Pope Francis, expectations for Trump."