MERRY CHRISTMAS: Pope Francis Sends Christmas Presents To 2,000 Immigrants

• Two thousand immigrants have received Christmas presents from Pope Francis.

Vatican Pope Francis jokes with the newlyweds of the Rainbow Association Marco Lagulli Onlus, which deals with clownterapia (clown therapy) in hospitals, nursing homes, and orphanages

Two thousand immigrants at the Dono di Maria shelter near the Vatican were thrilled to receive Christmas presents from none other than Pope Francis.

He sent them useful gift packages to allow them to connect with family over the holiday season, including a Christmas card signed by the Pope, postage stamps, a pre-paid international calling card, and a free day-pass for the Rome metro.

Papal almoner Archbishop Konrad Krajewski personally helped the sisters of the Missionaries of Charity hand out the gifts.

Sister Michelle said: "The immigrants received the presents with love and were thankful for the opportunity to call and write their loved ones during the Christmas season."

As an advocate for the poor and marginalized, Pope Francis has specifically spoken out on behalf of immigrants.

On the World Day of Migrants and Refugees in September he condemned "slave labor" and human trafficking.

"Migrants and refugees are not pawns on the chessboard of humanity," he said.

"They are children, women and men who leave or who are forced to leave their homes for various reasons, who share a legitimate desire for knowing and having, but above all for being more."

The Dono di Maria home was founded by Mother Teresa 25 years ago under Pope John Paul II's blessing, according to Patheos.

New pope, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, rode the bus because he gave up his limo

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who was chosen as pope Wednesday and will be known as Pope Francis, was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and is best known as a champion of the poor. This is often reflected in his very humble lifestyle, despite his position. One much-cited example of his personal (and very Franciscan) commitment is that he takes the bus.

He will presumably give up this practice for security reasons, but it says much about the personality and beliefs of the man who will now lead the Catholic church. 

Back in 2005, Bergoglio drew high marks as an accomplished intellectual, having studied theology in Germany. His leading role during the Argentine economic crisis burnished his reputation as a voice of conscience, and made him a potent symbol of the costs globalization can impose on the world’s poor.

Bergoglio’s reputation for personal simplicity also exercised an undeniable appeal – a Prince of the Church who chose to live in a simple apartment rather than the archbishop’s palace, who gave up his chauffeured limousine in favor of taking the bus to work, and who cooked his own meals. We’ll have more on Bergoglio, his church and his challenge throughout the day and the week.

Sorry, Jorge Mario Bergoglio is not the first non-European pope

Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who was just elected pope, is from Argentina. He is the first pope from the Americas, a symbolically important step that suggests that the church wants to focus more on its largest regional following, which is in Latin America.

But he is not, as many are reporting, the first non-European pope. He is the just the first non-European pope in a very, very long time.

Update: As some are pointing out, “non-European” can have two different meanings, one based in ethnicity and the other nationality. While Bergoglio is an Argentine citizen, his parents were born in Italy and he is ethnically Italian. Many citizens of Argentina, as in the U.S., are descendants of immigrants, and a majority are of European descent. So he not “non-European” in the way that a Filipino of Congolese pope might be, but rather in the way that an Irish-American cardinal is “non-European.”

Previous non-European popes have included, for example, the very first one: Saint Peter, who was born in Bethsaida, which is thought to have been in modern-day Israel (possibly in the Golan Heights). It’s a reminder that, although we think of the Catholic church as a European institution, the religion itself was founded in the heart of the Middle East. A number of other popes are from once-Roman-controlled regions of North Africa, a reminder that the Mediterranean was not always such a civilizational divide, although Christianity persisted in the region for centuries after the Roman empire’s fall.

By my count, which is probably incomplete, he is the 11th non-European pope in the church’s history, and the first in 1,272 years. 

FRANCIS 1

Here’s a (again, probably incomplete) list of the non-European popes I was able to find in a cursory overview, with each pope’s place of birth and the period of his reign:

1) Saint Peter: Bethsaida, modern-day Israel(33 – 64 A.D.)
2) Pope Saint Evaristus: Bethlehem, modern-day West Bank (97 – 105)
3) Pope Saint Anicetus: Emesa (today known as Homs), Syria (155 – 166)
4) Pope Saint Victor I: Leptis Magna, modern-day Libya (189 – 199)
5) Pope Saint Miltiades: Somewhere in North Africa (311 – 314)
6) Pope Theodore I: Jerusalem, modern-day Israel and West Bank (642 – 649)
7) Pope John V: Antioch, then Syria but today part of Turkey (685 – 686)
8) Pope Sisinnius: Syria (708)
9) Pope Constantine: Syria (708 – 715)
10) Pope Gregory III: Syria (731 – 741)

And now number 11! Pope Francis I: Buenos Aires, Argentina (2013 – ?)

source. washington post