Pope Francis has been compared to a rock star by two cardinals who are regarded as the “princes of the church.”
The cardinals made the declaration as they surmised Pope Francis’ 18 months in the role, and George Pell and Timothy Dolan have insisted that they had no idea the man they elected would prove to be such a “rock star” pontiff.
According to the Telegraph , Pell and Dolan, who hail from Australia and the United States, respectively, have explained that during the conclave, the secret vote that is held in the Sistine Chapel where the identity of the new Pope is decided, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, as Pope Francis was previously known, was a much different man. He came across as reserved and shy, and there was no suggestion that he would have such an impact on both the Catholic Church and the world.
Pell and Dolan are currently in the middle of a two-week synod, which is where bishops from around the world gather to discuss various issues related to the church. Around 200 bishops from five continents arrived in Rome to start the summit on Sunday, which will see them discuss the likes of divorce, contraception, and where the Catholic Church is heading.
Dolan, who is the Archbishop of New York and is regarded as one of the most charismatic and outspoken cardinals at the gathering, admitted that they’d thought they’d picked “a good manager,” but didn’t realize that they would be “getting a rock star” with the then Archbishop of Buenos Aires .
“I thought of him as a very retiring, behind-the-scenes man. In no way did I think he would be the sort of man who would electrify the crowd as he has done.”
Dolan added that numerous public relations and marketing gurus have come up to him in New York to ask, “who’s coaching this guy, who’s doing his PR, who’s doing the choreography?” but he insists that rather than being trained, Pope Francis is just the “essence of simplicity and sincerity.”
Pell, who was appointed the Vatican’s finance minister back in February, also praised the Pope’s impact. However, he also vowed to fight any change to the ban that is currently on remarried divorcees receiving Communion. Pell declared that it is a vital ingredient to upholding the binding contract of marriage at a time when family life is fragile across the globe.
[Image via Pure Minutes]
