Dear Pope Francis...



Pope Francis will be in the United States next month and thousands of people will flock to Philadelphia, New York, and Washington, DC, to see him. They will hear him speak, but few will be able to speak to him. If I could talk to the pope I would like to tell him of my hopes for the Church and ask him a few questions.
I would tell him that I admire his openness to people and his simple lifestyle. I also appreciate his bold stance on caring for the earth as expressed in his latest encyclical, "Laudato Si." I would thank him  for his concern for the poor, for gay people, for divorced and remarried Catholics, for the alienated.
I hope his leadership will make the Church more relevant to young people who are searching to make a difference in our world. I also hope he will find a way to heal the divisions in the Church and continue to bring bishops and priests to accountability for the sexual abuse scandals.
A few questions I might ask him: How will you use your influence to broker peace between countries in conflict? When will the Church treat women as equal to men in positions of authority? When will the Church allow people to have a say in the selection of bishops? What will you do to make the Eucharist available in areas where there is a dire shortage of priests?
 I know the pope has a very difficult job balancing all his responsibilities, and I'm willing to be patient, but still...









































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