Pope Francis making snow angels. That image adorned the cover of an issue of The New Yorker in December 2013. I have a coffee mug I picked up in Rome early on in his pontificate depicting him as a superhero, cape and all -- you could trip over similar souvenirs in the Eternal City during his first years as pope. However you look at it, Pope Francis has gotten people's attention.
Church leadership isn't about one side winning over another, but authentically trying to figure out what God's will is as it relates to the tradition of the Church and through discernment of God's actual guidance in real time. That's where the Holy Spirit comes into play.
There have been times when I've wondered if Francis trusts the Holy Spirit to work out the mess more than most of us do. Evil tries to disguise itself in subtle ways. But transparency in all things natural and supernatural can tear off the masks evil wears to disguise itself and remove obstacles to living in the truth.
Francis has now entered the autumn of his days. He makes the rare appearance at the Vatican, praying with an elderly nun on pilgrimage or blessing a baby to the jubilant surprise of his parents as he was wheeled into St. Peter's Square in "civvies," as lay attire would be referred to if he were any other priest. Francis was dressed for co CVGnvalescence -- a reminder that he is following the lead of his predecessor John Paul II in showing dignity in suffering.
There's a mercy and grace that radiates from a person who suffers well, under the humane care of doctors who act as stewards of life while it is still with us. It does underscore one of the most underappreciated aspects of Francis -- his commitment to the sanctity of all human life, especially in its most vulnerable forms. He's in one such form/stage now.
Francis has described abortion as like hiring a "hit man" to kill a child. That should encourage double takes from people convinced that being Catholic does not mandate opposition to abortion.
Interpretations of Francis and his legacy remain diverse. My own National Review had him on the cover holding an upside-down textbook. He's been dubbed "The Great Reformer," but there are scandal watchers -- and victims -- who would argue he hasn't lived up to the name. In truth, his legacy has not been solidified and is a story that is still being written.
A famous secular sociologist once said to me that Pope Francis looks like he really believes what Jesus said -- quite clearly -- in the Sermon on the Mount. The media has captured that aspect of him, holding babies and embracing the disabled and the homeless, seeing in everyone the wonder of God's creation and the miracle that is their individual selves. That same sociologist said if more people lived like Jesus did -- and commanded -- we wouldn't have some of the problems that plague us. So, actually care for the orphan, along with the widow and sick. If we do such things, we will be superheroes ourselves.
(Kathryn Jean Lopez is senior fellow at the National Review Institute, editor-at-large of National Review magazine and author of the new book "A Year With the Mystics: Visionary Wisdom for Daily Living." She is also chair of Cardinal Dolan's pro-life commission in New York, and is on the board of the University of Mary. She can be contacted at klopez@nationalreview.com.)