Friday 22 November 2013

Pope Francis: A Hard Act to Follow

When Pope Francis does this he is applauded. When I do it I am arrested.
So, how is it going? We live in different times. People now associate the Church with the sex abuse crisis perhaps less than they did and due to the great media buzz surrounding Pope Francis, we are experiencing a more positive response from those outside the Church towards Catholicism.

I must say, however, that I am finding imitating Pope Francis quite difficult. How is your kissing mission going? I would have thought by now that the general public would have seen so much kissing by the Pope in the media that they would react to my kissing the general public the same way, but something's not quite right.

If I go up to ladies and ask them for their children so that I may kiss them, not only are they not interested, but they say they are going to call the police. I go up to ugly or disfigured people, start touching them and kissing them and pointing to the sky and they tell me to "f*** off" or to "get away from me, you maniac". Pope Francis? What am I doing wrong? Has anyone else experienced these difficulties in evangelising the Pope Francis way? Perhaps its just a thing that doesn't translate in England.

11 comments:

Jacobi said...

I find this whole modern idea of kissing that has crept in to society and of course, now Catholicism, to be, what’s the word, eh, yucky, and hand shaking at the so-called sign of peace to be just as bad.

I mean a hand shake is all right on reaching the top of a difficult mountain, or on concluding a dodgy business deal but not in church, surely.

Lynda said...

Often, they are Judas-type kisses. However, it's wholly natural to kiss a very young child.

The Bones said...

Oh, that's a bit harsh, Lynda.

Martina Katholik said...

It wouldn´t translate in Germany either.
I think people are a little bit engaged in doublethink in this regard.
Even if I a priest tried to kiss all the children of his parish the people would call the police or think he has a very special "sexual orientation".
When the Pope kisses children which he has never seen before and whose parents he doesn´t know personally it is not only OK but applauded.
Where have all the papal blessings with three fingers gone?
Or did I miss something and kissing is now the new liturgical blessing?

Pelerin said...

Kissing strangers? I find that merely trying to strike up a conversation at a bus stop often brings weird looks as inevitably one is thought to be a bit 'strange' these days to want to talk to a complete stranger!

Anonymous said...

We are Germanic and he is a latino. Being tactile is very alien to us but very natural for him. Be who God made you to be and let the Pope be as God made him to be. The world is riches for both.

Celia said...

Well, perhaps you should try the previous papal technique:drive along very slowly, with a friend on the running board grabbing children from their mothers arms and slinging the little blighters at you in industrial quantities. And remembering which adult to hand them back to.
I have vague memories of a time when Popes blessed children, rather than puckering up like politicians. When did the rot set in? Under JPII at a guess.

Lynda said...

I mean kisses in Western societies in general.

Katalina said...

Come on Bones what on earth is wrong with the pope kissing children? The pope already called the Italian critic of his and thanked him for pointing out his mistakes. What more do you want? He also said he shared Benedict's mission of the Church. These gestures are acts of charity which I think Jesus said is the fulfillment of God's law.

Wayne Kelland said...

Out of interest, have you seen the new film Philomena? I enjoyed it and found it thought provoking. I'd be interested to hear your views?

Tim said...

To be fair Laurence you probably shouldn't have used your tongue.

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