Pope Francis Focuses On Poor At Inaugural Mass

March 19, 2013 Subscribe · Forward Pope Francis Holds Inaugural Mass VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis urged princes, presidents, sheiks and thousands of ordinary people gathered for his installation Mass on Tuesday to protect the environment, the weakest and the poorest, mapping out a clear focus of his priorities as leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics. The Argentine native is the first pope from Latin America and the first named for the 13th-century friar St. Francis of Assisi, whose life's work was to care for nature, the poor and most disadvantaged. Echoing the gentleness for which St. Francis is known, the pope said a little bit of tenderness can "open up a horizon of hope." Continue reading... Israel's Rabbis In Retreat As Obama Arrives Muslim Superhero Tournament - VOTE NOW! Rob Bell Comes Out For Marriage Equality: 'I Am For Love' Pope Francis Holds Inaugural Mass Cardinal Suggests Pedophilia Not A Crime Continuing A Theme, Francis' Papal Coat Of Arms Will Be Simple Don't Blame It On The Bible St. Francis, Radical For Love Don't Blame It On The Bible Pope Francis Holds Inaugural Mass Reflections On A New Face REV. KEVIN O'BRIEN, S.J. A Jesuit and Pope On the night of his election, as Francis bowed before the multitudes, the world fell silent for a few moments, as if to catch our collective breath for what is already proving to be a ground-breaking moment in the Church's long history. Continue reading... CHRISTIAN PIATT 5 Questions After the Steubenville Rape Case As the father of both a boy and a girl, I was particularly angered and disturbed by this story. The very fact that such things happen in a supposedly civil society is a stark reminder that we have only a tenuous hold on the well-being of our kids once they leave our sight. Continue reading... PAUL BRANDEIS RAUSHENBUSH Pope Francis: The Holy Spirit At Work? When the now familiar face of the Cardinal from Buenos Aires appeared I found myself shouting at the screen: "who is that?" And soon we knew: Pope Francis, potentially the most transformative pope the church has seen in 50 years. Continue reading... THOMAS WORCESTER Is a Jesuit Pope an Oxymoron? Until a week ago, there had not been a pope who also belonged to a religious order in more than a century and a half. No Jesuit had ever been elected pontiff. I had thought this would never happen, in part because Jesuits make a promise not to seek ecclesiastical offices. Continue reading... DR. FAHEEM YOUNUS Blasphemy Laws and Pakistan: Whose Islam Is It Anyway? Harassing minorities in the pretense of blasphemy accusations is not my version of Islam. Maybe that's why Pakistan's constitution does not consider Ahmadi Muslims to be "real" Muslims. But Scripture tells us that it's not Prophet Muhammad's version of Islam either. Continue reading... Received this from a friend? Sign up for alerts from The Huffington Post here. Unsubscribe here.