Drawing: Faces #1236: Smilin' Joe, Il Papa, and The Bone

By Jack Brummet

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A colloquy between Dean Ericksen and Pope Francis

By Jack Brummet, Religion Ed.

 My Brother-in-law and friend Dean Ericksen  chatted with Pope Francis last night.  "Pope Francis sent me an instant message last night. Here’s the transcript:"

Pope: Hey, Dean.
Dean: Hey, Pope - how is DC?
Pope: Good - did you see the Fiat?
Dean: Yep. Product placement?
Pope: I’ll forget you said that. Did you catch Empire?
Dean: Nope. I’m always late to these things. Still haven’t finished Breaking Bad. You?
Pope: Tivo. Had to talk with Boehner tonight. That guy …
Dean: He’s a cryer.
Pope: He cries about the wrong things. Anyway - Declan moved into the dorm yet?
Dean: Friday. Time moves on. You’re not coming to Seattle - right?
Pope: Not planning on it, but I have some flexibility. Did you see Xi?
Dean: <smirk> Yesterday. High strung. Probably the jet lag. We stopped by the new Paseo, up from your church on 15th.
Pope: What happened to the old Paseo? Wait - north of St Alphonsus?
Dean: Yes. Long story. The con-gusto is still decent.
Pope: Good. Hey … have you thought again about converting?
Dean: Converting from what? To what? Let’s not talk about this. It’s late.
Pope: Come on - have you seen the church lately? Kick the tires, it’s a new ride.
Dean: Same deal on contraception, women, gays, etc. Kudos on the other stuff though. Nice work.
Pope: Alright. Blessings to Mary and the Kids. Buenas Noches.
Dean: Good night. Enjoy NYC.

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Papa Francisco a/ka Pope Francis's one man mission to spread love, compassion, and inclusion

By Jack Brummet, RC Church Ed.

Some on his list are obvious, but still sweet and thoughtful. I'm not a Catolico (about 150 people in my family are), and thus have no real standing to speak of, but it feels Il Papa is pushing the church into Century 21 with a holy turbo bulldozer.

With the wars, and elections, and distractions (e.g., Too Many Cooks), we sometimes miss this one-man revolution. Every other day he comes down on the right side of things and cajoles his church--and the rest of us--to step up. This Holy Man is for real. The Papacy has slumbered since Pope John left in 1963; it's making up for lost time at a furious pace. inclusion, forgiveness, Inclusion, love and compassion, INCLUSION. ¡Excelsior Papa Francisco! Long may you run.

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