Takeaway From Papal Visit One Week Later
By Mark Abrams
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Last week, Pope Francis was spending his final day in Philadelphia. In the seven days since he's been gone, much has been said about the man who touched the heart of tens of thousands who came to the City of Brotherly Love to see him.
St. Joseph's University theology professor William Madges says the Pope's message continues to reverberate in Philadelphia and beyond:
"Appreciating the richness of our diversity when he talked about immigrants coming to this country. He did the same thing when he was talking about religious liberty, saying appreciating the diversity of religion. But namely, this diversity is intended to enrich all of us and to build a stronger community that's bound together in love and a commitment to the common good."
He says Pope Francis was very aware of the hot-button issues, but chose to approach them using a pastoral approach rather than with a scolding or judgmental tone:
"Try to find what are some of the values in American culture that provide common ground with his own sense of what it means to be a human being or what it means to be a good Catholic christian."
Madges says he felt the Pope's awareness of the realities of the family life - saying sometimes plates fly and children cause headaches for their parents - showed his true love for humanity.
And Madges believes the Pope's message about a family being the place where love and compassion and learning to work together will stick with those who heard it.
