Pope Francis

I kid you not, this conversation happened yesterday at IKEA.  My parents and I were discussing the conclave, the different candidates and naming possibilities.

Dad: I would love to see a "Pope Francis."  (My dad has a deep devotion to St. Francis of Assisi.)
Me: Dad, stop.  Who ever it is, is not going to take the name "Francis."  He'll take something more traditionally papal like "John Paul III."

Today, as I was driving to Aurora for a blood test, my husband called and told me about the white smoke.  Nathan was at work, so I called my dad right away to find out what was going on.  I had to wait until my appointment was over for any real news.  Then, after the election announcement was made, this conversation happened:

Me: Well, what name did he take?
Dad: I thought he said "Francis" but I couldn't hear him very well.
Me: Seriously, stop it.  He did not take the name "Francis."  (And yeah, I laughed a little bit.)

Then, the call dropped.  A few minutes later, Dad called me back.

Dad: I just talked to your brother--it IS Francis.  SO THERE!

Moral of the story: have better faith in Dad's Latin.

Let's pray that our dear Pope Francis is able to engender greater love and understanding between the Holy Church and the secular world which surrounds Her.   That people will remember, while we may disagree with each other, it does not have to lead to hate.