Pope Francis' authentic Christianity

By Tom Quiner

Most of us are flawed, well-intentioned hypocrites.
Here’s what I mean. We try to live our lives according to our faith, but the seduction of sin sets us back.
We try to do good, and hopefully we do, and then we go and act like lunkheads.
Examples of ugly hypocrisy abound in the worlds of religion, politics, and celebrity. Unfortunately, there has been no shortage of bad, hypocritical behavior in my beloved Catholic  Church down through the ages. And there is more to come, since we are a Church of sinners.
The Wall Street Journal’s Bret Stephens said the high priests of liberalism  have much to learn from the moral example set by Pope Francis.
He pointed out the recent example of liberal icon, Jane Fonda:

“In the same week that Pope Francis was named Time’s Person of the Year, word arrived of the charitable contributions made by the Jane Fonda Foundation. Grand total for the years 2007 to 2011: zero dollars. The last time Ms. Fonda’s Foundation made a charitable gift, reports the Smoking Gun website, was in 2006, to the tune of $1,000.”

He pointed out what misers Bill Clinton and Al Gore were when it came to charity:

“Ms. Fonda isn’t exactly the world’s first cheapskate limousine liberal: Think of Bill Clinton claiming a tax deduction for donating his underwear, or the $353 Al Gore gave to charity in 1997.”

Speaking of Mr. Gore, Stephens referenced his amazing hypocrisy when it comes to his personal use of energy:

“Yes, we know that Al bought indulgences—aka carbon offsets—for his Nashville manse, and that Qatar, with the world’s highest per capita carbon footprint, just happened to be the right buyer for his failing channel.”

Frankly, there is no shortage of hypocrisy on the right side of the aisle, either.
Pope Francis certainly isn’t perfect. But he has captivated the world  with his moral example. He has always been in the trenches helping the poor and down trodden. Now, as pope, he is STILL in the trenches, setting a moral example for all us, liberal or conservative, faithful or faithless, Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, or Jew.
He SEES the invisible people that the powerful sometimes ignore. He sees the preborn, the poor, the homosexual, the diseased as all being children of God.
He is an authentic Christian. That is why he inspires the world.