100 days of Pope Francis

For broadcast on 2CH Sydney, 23 June 2013.

By traditional standards, the first 100 days of the Pope Francis era have been unremarkable, according to John L. Allen Jr, senior correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter.

Not much has happened.  He has made some senior appointments, approved a few sainthood causes, and met some heads of state, but made no major teaching statements.

What Pope Francis has done is demonstrate important qualities of any great spiritual leader: simplicity, humility, remaining largely apolitical, and mixing easily with ordinary people.

Christians around the world, including millions of Protestants, have prayed for this Pope.  Despite deep theological differences, they recognise that such a leader must above all be a godly man with a deep personal faith, and a keen sense of what it means to follow Jesus in the 21st century.

We can all learn something from him, and pray for him and other church leaders in these challenging spiritual times.

I’m Rod Benson for the NSW Council of Churches.