Like his dad, Raphael exudes a gentle confidence, "The Pope is very intent on following Christ's teaching and living in the shadow of Christ. I think he's extremely good for the world because he's a very humble individual, and if there's anything the world needs, it's a little bit more of a lesson on, ah, humbleness.
I think he's extremely genuine. Before he became Pope, he was in a home where he was taking care of two blind priests in their 90's. He was cooking and cleaning and washing them everyday. Anyone who can do that, it's definitely not an act. Actually, he didn't even want to become Pope.
He doesn't shy away from someone who, say, has leprosy or elephantitis... He doesn't hesitate to give them a big hug and grab them and kiss them. He's like that with everybody. I mean, he drives his bodyguards crazy, but he'll get out of a car in the middle of Rome. He'll go to the poorest neighborhoods and hug people and kiss them, shake their babies and kiss their hands.
In my opinion, I think this Pope surpasses John Paul. John Paul was huge and influential but he didn't leave the palace and move to a hotel and set up there because the Pope's palace is too grandiose, but this Pope has.
I'm extremely Catholic, born and raised. I will be going to the Pope's mass on Sunday. We're all big fans of the Pope in my family."
That night, Karen, Raphael and I were driven by Clark in his beat up car around Center City. With so many soldiers and traffic barriers, most of the bars and restaurants barely had customers, and this was after all the hype about how the Pope's visit would be a big boon to the city economically. Fearing the congestion and chaos, many Philadelphians had fled town. Many tourists stayed away.
Those who came to see the Pope had to sidestep beggars on Philly's sidewalks, many of whom were young white males. Though most hurt by our economy, young men are the least likely to elicit sympathy. Traditional male jobs in factories have been sent to Asia while the more arduous work on farms, construction sites and in kitchens are dominated by illegal immigrants. A constantly increasing number of our young adults now live at home, but what if you don't have a living parent?
On Market Street, I spotted a young blonde man sitting on the ground behind a begging sign that included, "pope hope." Twenty-three-years-old and from South Jersey, Kenny used to work as a mechanic but when his mom got sick, he asked his boss to cut his hours so he could take care of her. When the garage owner refused, Kenny quit. Kenny's mom is dead, he hasn't found another job, so for two years now, he has been living on Philadelphia's sidewalks. Sleeping on cardboard, Kenny put weight on his wrist and damaged the radial nerve. His left hand was bandaged.
When Kenny complained about the commercialization of the Pope's visit, I suggested it wasn't really Francis' fault. Kenny responded, "You can't really pin it on him, but he's the leader, he has ways of making choices of how things should be, and he's not saying that this is wrong or anything like that, and he's not going to the poor places where he should visit and actually see, go to the places where he can actually give hope to. I have friends in North Philly and they're like, 'Why isn't he coming here?' Why doesn't he come and see what it's actually really like? Why be downtown where it's completely upscale?
He's a politician. He addressed Congress. I never thought in a million years a Pope would do something like that.
I'm a Methodist. I'm not going to lie to you" I only go to church on occasions, on holidays, but I'm a believer. Absolutely."
The next night, I returned to Frank's and met Dorothy. A woman in her mid-fifties, she had come from New Jersey to see Pope Francis over two days. Since the Ben Franklin Bridge was closed to cars, Dorothy had to trek across it from frightful Camden, and once in Philly, she and all the other New Jersey pilgrims, no matter how old or crippled, had to traipse several more miles to chase down their beloved Pope. If unable to afford a hotel room at ungodly prices, jacked up especially for the Pope's visit, each would have to hobble or crawl back to menacing Camden at the end of the night. An ex-Philadelphian, Dorothy had friends she could stay with, however.
Dorothy had on a sweat shirt with a large peace sign, and among her several bead necklaces, there was one with a small Buddha pendant. On a shiny button, thorn-crowned Jesus grimaced. Dorothy, "Pope Francis speaks and everybody is hearing him. Today, for instance, when he quoted the Declaration of Independence, he said, 'All men and women are created equal.' I don't think I've ever heard any world leader said 'and women.' It's always 'All men are created equal,' but this man said, 'and women.' I'm not a Christian, I'm not a Catholic, but there's something that's wonderful about this man, and he's for everyone. He's a good man.
I went to a little Protestant church. My father was a Catholic, and my mother was a Jew. We went to church every Sunday. To be honest with you, they just wanted us to learn the Bible, and I also think it was a way to get all five kids out of the house for a couple of hours on a Sunday.
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