Bishop Robert Barron: It’s Amazing To Think of the Pope as Speaking with a South Side Chicago Accent as I Do

EXCERPT:

BARRON: “The fact that he reached back to the very end of the 19th century, to this figure, Leo XIII, is very telling. Leo was someone who, at a pivotal moment, engaged modernity in a creative way. The church had said no initially to the, you know, political reforms of the 18th century, the philosophical innovations of the 19th century, especially Marxism. It simply said, no. Leo gave a very nuanced response that was both affirming and and challenging, and therefore he sets the tone, I think, for a very intelligent creative engagement with the modern world. I think that’s what our new pope was signaling by choosing this extraordinary name. My other thought was, I’m the same generation as this man. We’re like four years apart in age. I grew up, in decent traffic, about 25 minutes from where he did. So it is kind of amazing to think of the pope as speaking with a South Side Chicago accent as I do. There's something, I think, wonderful for Americans about that. But he's someone that will lift up the whole church, for sure."