How can one man unite and divide so many people at the same time? That's the question I ask concerning Jorge Mario Bergolio, or as he's better known, Pope Francis and his recent visit to the United States. As a proud member of New York's legendary (and as my friend Patty Steele puts it, "GORGEOUS!") Temple Emanu-El, I believe that no matter what names we use to call him, there is one guy upstairs guiding our destinies, and any guy who can deliver his message (and who DOESN'T wear a Rolex on his television show, for all you Ray Stevens fans and Jim Bakker haters) is OK with me! (BTW, Google Search Ray Stevens and Jim Bakker if you haven't already) To clarify, I refer you to a recent op-ed cartoon in the New York Daily News by Bill Bramhall in which one hipster tells the other, "I loved the Pope before I found out he was Catholic," as well as a Jewish cabbie who recently drove me home and said, "Thank God the Pope's gone." HELLO!
Well, anyway, I loved it that the Pope decided to visit my fair city of New York even if he DID force me to take Friday off from work, (I DID get paid for that day!) and prompt massive closures. I thought the highlights of his visit to Madison Square Garden were a reading in Spanish by Mo Rocca, whose work on THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART, CBS NEWS SUNDAY MORNING, and THE HENRY FORD (Museum) INNOVATION NATION I have come to appreciate, as well as His Holiness' acknowledgement of MSG's history as a sports and entertainment destination. I may not agree with everything the Pope said about the economy and such, but, as I said earlier, I'm happy he spread God's word, whether you call him Adonai, Allah, or the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spigot. (Can I help it if I still love that Malapropism in "Four Weddings and a Funeral?")
In case you spent last week in a cave, the Pope started his tour of America in Washington, DC, meeting with President and Mrs. Obama before moving into his meagerly appointed private residence. The following day he addressed a joint session of Congress before hopping on Shepherd One for the Big Apple. (Some people claim that joint session caused John Boehner to resign as Speaker of the House. He IS a devout Catholic.) In addition to the aforementioned mass at MSG, he said mass at the brilliantly renovated St. Patrick's Cathedral (with Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie as, for want of a better word, the warm-up act), addressed the United Nations General Assembly, led an interfaith service at the 9/11 Memorial, taught class at an East Harlem Catholic school, and waved to the crowds in Central Park, After thanking New Yorkers for their hospitality, (Did I mention that the New York Post changed its name to the NEW YORK POPE?) Papa Francesco headed for the City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia, where he hosted a family worship event on the closed-to-traffic Ben Franklin Parkway. (Among the guests were comedian Jim Gaffigan and actor and former rapper "Marky" Mark Wahlberg. The surprise of that particular event was when a little boy with the voice of an angel poured his heart into a beautiful spiritual and told Marky Mark, "I loved you in TED," which is Seth McFarlane's R-RATED movie about a man and his FOULMOUTHED talking bear. How that boy got into a movie like THAT beats the heck out of me.)
One of the most famous X-Men comic book covers says, "Welcome to the X-MEN, Kitty Pryde! HOPE YOU SURVIVE THE EXPERIENCE!" Well, we welcomed Papa Francesco to New York and we didn't just survive the experience. I like to think we all learned from it.
STEVE'S BITS: Before I completely forget, I'd like to recommend to parents in search of something different on TV for the young 'uns, MAYA THE BEE, a honey of a CGI (computer graphics) animated show which has become a franchise in Europe for the past two years inspiring a movie, a theme park in Belgium, and more merch than you can shake a stinger at. Based on a popular eponymous German children's book and an earlier hand-drawn series, the main character is an inquisitive insect who grows tired of her hive and wants to live in the meadow. With a not-so-hidden educational message, (Don't follow the hive, but be yourself and never be afraid to learn new things.) this bee-you-tifully animated show doesn't attempt to be too modern (unlike the last two Smurf movies, for example.), but is destined to be a modern classic. (Mom and Dad, I forgive you if you can't resist the urge to sneak a peek.) American viewers can meet Maya and friends on Sprout during the all-new SUNNY SIDE UP show and see what all the buzz is about. (For times, check http://www.sproutonline.com , and ask your provider if they carry Sprout.)
D'OH! I thought Comic-Con was THIS weekend and I was already to prepare a report, but I found out it's (A) NEXT weekend and (B) SOLD OUT! In keeping with the Papal theme of this blog, Pray For Me!
Steve out!
No comments:
Post a Comment