What may be the most tradition-oriented, ritualistic faith on the planet has just elected a relatively spontaneous leader. Without all of the fancy language, here is how Pope Francis has Catholics scratching their heads:
- He was the first to choose the name “Francis” after St. Francis of Assisi.
- He started off his first Papal speech with the words “Buona Sera” (meaning good evening in Italian) rather than the traditional “Praise be to Jesus Christ” or “Dear brothers and sisters.”
- He declined the throne that was erected for him to sit on while the cardinals pledged their obedience, and chose to stand and greet them at their level.
- He declined the papal limousine and took the bus with the Cardinal’s instead.
- He insisted on paying his own bill at the hotel he was staying at and gathered his own luggage.
- He apparently did not have any prepared words for his first mass.
That’s an impressive list after only holding the title for a couple of days!
