Here comes the Pope, all dress in... bope?? fope?? soap-on-a-rope??

I'm a frequent viewer of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. I love the blend of humor, pop culture, and political commentary. Tonight's guest was Peter Steinfels, a professor of religion and columnist for the New York Times. He brought up a really interesting thought about the pope.



He said the only time we pay attention to what the pope says is when his messages intersect with hot button political and cultural issues. We only care about using his comments to support or criticize the war, abortion, homosexuality, or any other polarizing topic. When the pope shares messages of hope and love, forgiveness and grace (the true messages of the gospel, imho) we ignore him.

I think the professor is right. The pope speaks messages to gigantic crowds all around the world, and the only parts i ever hear about are a few sound bites condemning the war in iraq. While i personally have never looked to the pope as a source of spiritual inspiration perhaps it's because i'm overlooking the real message that he is trying to communicate.