Well, the pope came to America recently to lay a few words on us. And that's a pretty big deal for people, especially a right-wing, evangelical, snake-handling Roman Catholic like me.
After seeing a whole lot of things in the media and an awful lot more stuff on social media, it seems a lot of folks don't understand the Catholic Church, the papacy or this particular pope, especially about a lot of the things he had to tell us. So I figure I had better spend some time on these subjects at hand.
First of all, let's talk about the Roman Catholic Church. It may be hard to believe, but the Roman Catholic Church is the only church that was physically and personally founded by Jesus Christ while He was still on earth.
When the Church was created, Rome ruled the world. She saw Rome fall. She survived the Middle Ages. She saw the birth and death of Muhammad. She saw all the great empires and dynasties of Europe rise and fall. She watched as the sun rose so high over the British Empire that it never set on it. And She was there when that sun finally did set. She saw the rise and fall of Napoleon. She saw this continent discovered by Europeans. And She watched as this great nation was settled, won its independence and became the greatest nation on earth. She's survived persecution, the Dark Ages, the Crusades, the Plague, wars, rumors of wars, and internal corruption and scandal.
She alone has stood the test of time, and after 2,000-plus years finds Herself today as the oldest Christian institution on the face of God's earth.
During Her existence, She's been led by a pope. Christ Himself appointed St. Peter as the first pope. St. Peter and his fellow disciples were commissioned by Christ to spread the Gospel, making them the first leaders or bishops of the Church. The pope is Christ's vicar on earth and the head of the Church. All told, there have been 266 popes in an unbroken line of succession. That's quite a record.
Now comes Pope Francis, the first pope from this side of the world. To understand Pope Francis, one needs to first know that he's a member of a religious order known as the Society of Jesus, commonly called the Jesuits. They were founded by a former military man and are organized accordingly. Throughout their history they have been so tenacious and absolutely fearless when it comes to spreading the Gospel that they have often been called "God's Marines."
They are also extremely intellectual, which can sometimes make it hard for the rest of us to get their drift when they're drifting, which means they can be misunderstood – especially when so many are clamoring to hear him say what they want to hear.
So when Pope Francis told us early in his pontificate in various ways how we should show people the love of Christ first, some took this to mean the door was now open for issues such as same-sex marriage and allowing divorced Catholics who have remarried outside the Church to be able to receive Communion.
But a pope doesn't have the authority to change something Christ specifically taught. So if you get your Bibles out (mine is the New American Standard Version) and turn to the 19th chapter of Matthew's Gospel, you will find Christ's thought's on these subjects. Marriage is between a man and a woman, and whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery.
These are hard words for our society, but they are Christ's words. Not mine.
And then there was Pope Francis' speech to Congress. Some have taken exception with some of the things he had to say: protecting the environment, caring for immigrants and refugees, and caring for the poor. He spoke about traditional marriage, the Golden Rule, and about protecting human life on many levels.
What else would the vicar of Christ talk about when addressing the leaders of the greatest nation on earth? Everything he said can be traced to Biblical teachings and the words of Christ, whether we happen to like them or not.
I think perhaps we should all listen to the pope's speeches again in light of Proverbs 4:1, "Hear, O children, a father's instruction, be attentive, that you may gain understanding!"
W.S. "Bill" Melton Jr. is a member of St. Michael the Archangel Church in Gastonia. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..