Someone I'd Like to Have Lunch With

   Once in awhile I read about someone and wish I could have lunch with that person. In all cases this is never possible as the person I've read about is either very famous or no longer among the living. It's still fun to think about it though.
   Like many people, I have been following coverage of Pope Francis. I'm not sure why, I'm not Roman Catholic. I just find all the traditions around the Papacy interesting. (Maybe it's because I have been to the Vatican.)
   I think he would be an interesting person to have lunch with. For starters he's in his middle 70s. Most people at this age are retired or at least thinking about slowing down a little bit. He's just been elected by his peers to take a new job in a foreign country far away from his home and his family. He seems to have a good sense of humour I read that shortly after he was elected he said to the Cardinals that elected him, "May God forgive you for what you have done." How about that. He joked about names that other Cardinals suggested to him. One was the name of a church reformer, the other was the name of a pope who suppressed the Jesuit order. (Pope Francis is a Jesuit, in case you didn't know.) He picked up his own bags instead of sending someone else to do it and paid his own bill. He's kept to simple attire and tends to wade out into the crowd to greet people personally.
  According to what I have read, this is all in character for him. He didn't live in a grand dwelling although he could have if he wanted to. He instead chose to live in an apartment, take the bus to work and cook his own meals. He didn't sit in some ivory tower and make pronouncements. He went among the people and talked to them.
  I like to read the comments at the end of the online articles about him. The vast majority of them are positive. That's pretty rare. Quite of few of those comments are written by people who say that they are not Roman Catholic, but like or are impressed by Pope Francis and how he has acted. Most of what is expressed by those who are members of that faith is hope.
  There are, of course, those who do not have much good to say about him. The one that gets mentioned most often is his conduct during a period where Argentina was ruled by a dictator. He been accused of standing by and doing  nothing to actually helping those who were in power at the time. I don't think it's fair to make those sorts of judgements on him or on anyone for that matter. None of us were in his shoes at that time,any judgement we make is based on hindsight. It is a luxury that he did not have.
   The quality that I like most about him is that he seems to be a positive person. He's out there looking to do good, to be kind and to request that others do likewise. He's going about doing good much like the man he professes to emulate, Jesus Christ.
  That's something sorely needed today. We are a becoming a society of unkindness. Hatred and violence verbal and physical seem to be much more prevalent. It is almost considered to be more a show of stregnth. Much better to wipe out your enemy than to try to understand him (or her).
   I think Pope Francis and I could have a very nice lunch. As he knows something about cooking perhaps we would prepare the meal together. (Although out of respect for him we would eat in the dining room.) We could talk about our respective faiths or if he wanted a break from "shop talk" we could talk about sports. I hear he likes soccer. Maybe he would show me how mate is supposed to be prepared.
  Oh well... more wishful thinking. It is very unlikely that he would ever journey to this part of the country, especially now. (The air temp is about 15 degrees Fahrenheit.) It's fun to think about though....