Pope

Someone you've never met, whose real name sounds unfamiliar, and who isn't mired in controversy. Yet millions around the world are tearfully praying for the pope.


It's amazing how much he has touched people, and made an impact, at many times without a direct influence.


Which leads me to ask two questions. Firstly, are they mourning him because he's the pope ? or because of the way who he was ?


and Secondly, how many other people could be in a position to have such an extensive influence over the world ?


From the Guardian : "In France, where Jews and Muslims said prayers, Dalil Boubakeur, president of the French Council of the Muslim Faith, said: "For us Muslims, he is a man of God, a man who wanted to serve God by serving humanity."


As his final breaths pass, I wonder what he's thinking. According to his private secretary, he asked his aides not to weep for him.


"I am happy, and you should be as well,", "Let us pray together with joy."


I think the way he's dealing with his demise speaks volumes about what sort of person he was.


I'm not going to try addressing the second question, but it is worth thinking about how we influence the circles around us, as small or as large as they are...


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As a practical matter, the talk around his successor has already begun.