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Two takes on TIME’s “Person of the Year”

When I think of the time and space that might have been devoted over the last couple days upon people like U.S. Senator Ted Cruz or pop star Miley Cyrus, I find myself encouraged – not just in our world, but in the media that brings that world into our homes 24/7 – by the fact that we are, instead, focused upon Jorge Mario Bergoglio … a man who, as Pope Francis, “took the name of a humble saint and then called for a church of healing. The first non-European pope in 1,200 years, he is poised to transform a place that measures change by the century.”

pope1 [1]“With a focus on compassion, the leader of the Catholic Church has become a new voice of conscience. Managing Editor Nancy Gibbs explains why Francis is TIME’s choice for Person of the Year 2013 [2].”

Me? I’m in complete agreement on this one. In the days leading up to the announcement, and the release of a short list of candidates for this year’s designation, I couldn’t help but think that only two of those candidates – Pope Francis and NSA leaker Edward Snowden – came close to meeting the criteria TIME listed.

A lot of coverage and discussion to the announcement, and PLENTY of reaction from pundits and ordinary people … all of them ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous. There were two that caught my attention today …

“‘Social media pope’ wins Person of the Year” was the headline for yesterday’s column on Jim Denison’s Forum on Truth and Culture [3].

Denison cites three reasons for TIME’s decision … and suggests they are examples that we might follow.

“First is his commitment to the poor: Francis has been pope only nine months, but he has ‘refocused the global conversation on poverty and those in need.’ Second is his personal humility: he ‘came onto the scene with fanfare and the opposite of fanfare,’ serving with genuine sincerity and modesty. Third is his engagement with contemporary media: he is using his office ‘in ways that feel almost like a grassroots initiative.'”

pope2 [4] Then there’s this observation from Jesuit Post [5], on Twitter with an accompanying Twitter pic, their riff on the TIME cover that sums-up very nicely my own feelings when I consider who MIGHT have been TIME’s Person of the Year.

“Speaking of abounding mercy … ”

pope3 [6]

Amen, brother!

There's a saying around here, something like, "I wasn't born in Texas, but I got here as fast as I could!" That's me. I'm a 'dang Yankee from back-east' who settled in the Lone Star State after some extended stays in the eastern U.S., and New Mexico. I worked as an archaeologist for a few years before dusting off my second major in English, and embarking on a 25-year career in journalism. Since then, I've embraced the dark side of the force, and now work in PR for a community college in Midland, Texas.

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