Radical Humility: David Gregory on What Makes Pope Francis Extraordinary | Big Think

Well, there’s 70 million Catholics in America, so whoever the pope is, is incredibly important. I believe this is the fourth most populous Catholic country in the world. So to have the head of the Catholic Church here is just always so significant to people and their faith journey in America within the Catholic Church.

I would say that under normal circumstances, I think Pope Francis is extraordinary. I don’t know anybody who is not moved by his example and his spirit and the way he’s leading the church. There are ideological differences with him, I suppose, in different areas of the spectrum, and I’m not wading into church doctrine here, but I love his spirit, and I love his example, and I love his humility.

And I love his voice of conscience in the world. I’m really moved by the practice of washing someone else’s feet, you know. In the gospel, is when Jesus washes Peter’s feet, and he looks at him almost with kind of horror and trepidation, like, you know, why are you doing that? And Jesus says to him essentially, when you learn the importance of doing this, you’ll understand why it’s so important.

It is an act of humility and to understand that the basis of humanity is serving each other, having compassion for each other, and understanding that we’re all in this together. So I love his spirit, and I love his intent.