Time magazine named Pope Francis as its Person of the Year
on Wednesday, crediting him with shifting the message of the Catholic Church
while capturing the "imaginations of millions" who had become
disillusioned with the Vatican.
"So much of what he has done in his brief nine months
in office has really changed the tone of what is coming out of the
Vatican," Time Editor Nancy Gibbs said in announcing the choice on NBC
television's "Today" program. "He is saying, 'We are about the
healing mission of the church, and not about the theological police
work'."
The Pope beat out former US National Security Agency
contractor Edward Snowden and gay rights activist Edith Windsor for the award.
Other finalists included Syrian President Bashar Assad and US Senator Ted Cruz
from Texas.
"What makes this Pope so important is the speed with
which he has captured the imaginations of millions who had given up on hoping
for the church at all," Time said on its website.
In a statement read on "Today," Vatican spokesman
Father Federico Lombardi said, "The Holy Father is not looking to become
famous or to receive honors. But if the choice of Person of the Year helps
spread the message of the gospel - a message of God's love for everyone - he
will certainly be happy about that."
No comments:
Post a Comment