by Jacob Fuhrer |
Award winning journalist and author Timothy Egan spoke Thursday in Buckley Auditorium, illustrating the connections between Saint Francis of Assisi and Pope Francis. The Pope will visit the U.S. next week with stops scheduled in Washington D.C., New York and Philadelphia. Pope Francis will meet with President Obama and will be the first pope to speak before a joint session of congress. He is expected to address global climate change.
Tim Egan on Pope Francis:
“He’s radical by example...[Francis] knows how to seize a moment, and that’s what we’re going to see next week.”
Tim Egan on Pope Francis' Attitude Towards Same Sex Relationships:
“The most astonishing thing happens early on as his time as pope...he is asked by reporters about gays in the Church, long a trouble spot for the Church...Francis looks at these reporters and smiles...he shrugs and says ‘who am I to judge.’ There are no more famous words ever uttered by a pope. He just had so much power in the way he said it...There it is, in that 'who am I to judge,' you see that humility and simplicity and this is what I see in him, that lightness of being”
Tim Egan on Pope Francis' Attitude Towards the Environment:
“A church that put Galileo under house arrest for promoting sound science is now challenging science deniers in power - that’s a switch.”
Tim Egan on Millennials:
“Our society will be shaped by the millennials…that’s who’s connecting with this pope and who the pope is connecting with.”
Jacob Fuhrer is a reporter for The Beacon. He can be reached at fuhrer17@up.edu or on Twitter @jacobfuhrer.
