Pope’s Foot-Wash a Final Straw for Traditionalist Catholics

[Wolf Frankula]

48. I think the RCC may have a Father Pedro for pope

What do I mean? Besides the child molesters, right wing nuts and crooks in the Catholic clergy, there have always been a number of people you would be proud to know. I speak of two I knew personally. The first was Father Pedro. He came from Cuba, and was the kindest, most humble, and nicest person you would want to meet. When he got pneumonia, a Baptist preacher and friend of his, asked his congregation to pray for Father Pedro's recovery. Some funds were missing from the church, it turned out that Father Pedro and one of his deacons were using them, to buy groceries of a woman raising her granddaughter's kids. He said, "Little children should not go hungry."

The second was Father Jon. He was a priest in the American sheep country. He was Basque, like a lot of his congregation, and was as good a herder and rider as they were. He was respected for his honesty. If Father Jon said he was going to do something, you could count on it. He was strict in his own celibacy, but said of the fleshly sins of his congregation, "Sheepherders are often very lonely. God knows this and understands."

Wolf