He’s done it again.
The “Pope” Culture Icon. The People’s Pope. Whatever you want to call him, he is nothing short of a phenomenon, going where no pope – not even Blessed JPII – has gone before: The cover of Rolling Stone Magazine!
Well, for Pete’s sake!
The issue hits newsstands on Friday…it will be very interesting to read this particular take on the Holy Father. Cardinal Dolan of New York City said, following the Conclave that elected Francis, that the Cardinal-electors had asked themselves which among their number was the most like Jesus Christ. Their answer, obviously, was the former Jorge Mario Bergoglio.
And like Jesus Christ himself, Pope Francis provokes strong reactions among people. Like Jesus, he is tough to label or pin down. He has an orthodox, “conservative” mind, teaching right doctrine, and a “liberal” heart – with arms open to everyone. And like Jesus, he has been misunderstood and misquoted. We’ll see if Rolling Stone can paint an accurate picture of the “Rock” – the successor of Peter.
Cardinal Dolan loves to put himself in the chair of kingmaker and arbiter of the election. He was less than one percent of the cardinal voters, so take it as such.