As a Catholic, having the Pope visit and receive such a warm welcome is encouraging. In a time where religion divides us, here is a man who brings people together.  Not everyone is warm and fuzzy about the Pope. I find this interesting, especially from other Christians, because if anyone is bringing us all back to what it means to follow Christ, to be a Christian, I think it is Pope Francis.

While others are referring to him as the Prince of Peace, he certainly is not asking for that title. He’s out having lunch with the homeless, visiting prisoners in jail, taking time for the less fortunate and giving those with mental and physical disabilities, a voice. So why the disdain?

I worked with a woman who told me that Catholicism was a cult. When I asked if she realized I was Catholic, she said yes. I replied “Well, it’s a good thing I was raised in the Catholic church, and learned to turn the other cheek, or I might have to kick your ass.” I laughed heartily showing I was kidding and she laughed while probably thinking “I knew those cults were violent.”

She’s not alone in viewing the Catholic church warily. Others don’t believe Catholics are Christian. This seems to stem around the fact we weren’t big bible readers. True, there was an era, the time I was growing up, where we didn’t do a lot of bible reading. The idea was the priest would interpret the bible for us at Mass. Those days are over and so you might have a generation of us that are not that bible savvy, but you see many bible study groups at Catholic churches these days.

People see the Catholic church as a sign of corruption and abuse of power and wealth. Well, I think it is fair to say that there has been those things but the Catholics don’t have the market on sexual abuse or money being the root of all evil. That’s why Pope Francis is refreshing – he’s not taken on the pageantry that other Popes had done. He’s taken a look at the issues and is working toward addressing them. Is it perfect and timely? No, but he’s moving forward in truth instead of denial.

The  Pope addressed Congress and I heard rumblings of anger about that and what he said. Guess what? He’s one voice of many. You don’t have to like what he says. But if his words of taking care of people and the world make you uncomfortable, you might need to reflect on that.

This seems to be a time for all Christians to rally – to show the world that being Christian isn’t all about judging others who aren’t Christian or your type of Christian. Time to show the world that Christianity is about actions, not reciting bible verses and then doing whatever you please. Sure, the Catholic church may not represent your beliefs etc. but the Pope is hopefully representing something that is universal “Do unto others.”