Last week the Pope was in town. It was sheer Pope Pandemonium. People adjusted their schedules and lives in the hope of just catching a glimpse of the Holy Father, Pope Francis. I had the honor and pleasure of seeing Pope Francis’ Pope-mobile and seeing him address the US Congress. It was truly a blessing. From his arrival on Tuesday, September 22, 2015 to his departure on Thursday, September 24, 2015, a spirit of love had set over the city of Washington. The City was calm and peaceful. Everywhere you went people smiled and discussed in excitement their experience of the Papal visit. There was so much optimism in the air that it felt like there was a shift. A shift in the way we view each other, a shift in the way we treat each other. The happiness was infectious. I thought that perhaps this was the change we needed and the examples provided would lead to healing of some societal hurts such as discrimination, hate, lack of respect, rudeness, and violence. Unfortunately, that was a utopian desire as once Pope Francis left the United States, the calm dissipated and we all went back to our normal habits. Wouldn’t it be a better and more enjoyable life if we all had mutual respect for one another regardless of religious background, political affiliation, skin color, gender, sexual orientation, whether you like cats or dogs, or sleep upside down? It should not be that hard. Really.
I wish there was a way to recapture the feeling of last week…
Be safe,
L.J. Follow me on Twitter: @CrimeDoc1213
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