6 Things Pope Francis DIDN’T Do During His U.S. Visit

Pope Francis did a lot of things last week when he visited the U.S. However, some of the stuff he DIDN’T do were the things that stood out most.

1. Stick to his schedule

The itinerary for the pope’s visit was jam-packed, air-tight, chock-full, anti-wiggle-room. Pope Francis must have some friends in high places, because by some miracle, he found more time to do MORE STUFF.

He made a surprise visit to St. Joseph’s University to hang out with his Jesuit buddies on Sunday.  He even stopped his car to bless and embrace a boy with cerebral palsy. The pope showed us that when it comes to bringing Christ to others, time is not a factor.

2. Have a superiority/”holier-than-thou” complex

The humble Pope Francis spent his 5 days in the United States talking to his “brothers and sisters.” Not his “children” or “his people,” but his equally sinful and holy brothers and sisters.

The pope addressed his “brother bishops” at St. Matthew’s Cathedral on last Wednesday. On Sunday, Pope Francis assured the inmates at Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility that he was there not only as a pastor, but as a brother. Pope Francis treated each person he met with the same respect and love.

3. Ignore Kim Davis

This is an interesting one. It was finally confirmed that Pope Francis did, indeed, meet with Kim Davis, the controversial County Clerk from Kentucky. It seems as though she was in D.C. by chance, and the pope made a 15-minute detour to see her. Pope Francis met Kim Davis with love, in contrast to the many hateful encounters she has endured for sticking to her deeply-held religious convictions.

Hopefully, our nation can follow his lead and understand that Davis has inherent dignity as a child of God. She and others who receive hate should be treated with love and respect, regardless of their opinions. Building the Kingdom of God does not entail dehumanizing people as we try to decide who is right and who is wrong. Rather, God calls us to remember the dignity of every human being as we wrestle with controversial issues. Dialogue over hate every time!

4. Back down for the sake of political agreement

The issue has been laid to rest: Pope Francis and the Catholic Church are not concerned with taking political sides. How do we know that? The fact that Democrats and Republicans alike were squirming in their seats at Pope Francis’s address to the joint meeting of Congress.

Pope Francis simply stated that the Church is striving toward justice for all of God’s people. The issues he highlighted were no accident: immigration, environmental destruction, arms trade, poverty, and religious extremism. These are all things that threaten the basic needs and dignity of all people.

Pope Francis challenged the senators and state representatives “to defend and preserve the dignity of your fellow citizens in the tireless and demanding pursuit of the common good.” ZING. (In my editorial opinion he’s saying, “Why are you guys just sitting here all the time debating frivolous issues for your own gain? You could totally be focusing that energy on fighting the things that threaten to destroy humanity/our world.”)

5. Accuse people

I know, I know… my editorial in the last one kind of twisted the pope’s words. The point is, he really didn’t ever blame any person for wrongdoing or accuse any organization (like the government) of having evil intentions.

If you read every address he gave to the people of the United States, you can see that his messages were always positive. He communicated in love and focused on what we can do TOGETHER to improve our situations. Don’t believe me? Look at the transcripts of each of his speeches, homilies, prayers, and addresses.

6. Hold a phone or device

This is a lesson for all of us (not just teens, or “kids these days”), because we are all guilty of forgetting to live in the moment.

Throughout Pope Francis’s visit, it was evident that he was fully engaged with the people around him. If you noticed, the pope did not tweet at all during his 5-day trip. (If you didn’t notice, then that means you should totally be following him @pontifex on Twitter.) He would take pictures with people and get in others’ selfies, but he never took his own.

We should feel honored, because that shows that this U.S. visit was important to Pope Francis. He came here to connect with people who are in some ways over-connected. The pope reminds us that moments can be immortalized even if we are not documenting the moment. We can change the world and make waves like Pope Francis by just bringing ourselves and being present with people.