Pope Francis ‘Sees The Person First,’ Insists Archbishop

Following the Pope Francis’ recent spate of controversial remarks, one of the most prominent archbishops in the world has come out in defense of him.

Joseph Kurtz, a Louisville Archbishop and the U.S Conference of Catholics President, has declared his support for Pope Francis.

Pope Francis has been criticised by some members of the church for being too liberal. Catholics have seen him defend and protect homosexuals and divorced Catholics, and he has even been labelled as “radical” in some quarters.

According to Christian Today, the archbishop told CBS News the only thing that makes Pope Francis truly unique isn’t the fact that he is “radical,” but that he sees every human being, regardless of their religion, as exactly the same.

“I think the fact that he sees the person first. He has often said that he favors reality over idea. It’s not that he doesn’t want to talk about ideas, but he doesn’t want to get so far away and argue about ideas that you miss the person in front of you.

“The pope always adds, ‘I’m the son of the church. I’m not one to change doctrine, I know there’s something beautiful in the doctrine, and in the truth of Christ, but in doing that, wasn’t it Jesus who saw the person first in front?’

“I think that’s what Pope Francis is doing and basically saying the role of the Holy Father is to serve and the role of those who assist him is to serve… And I hope when I go back to Louisville, Kentucky, that I’m able to say, that’s what I want to do. I want to serve people; which is getting, again to use that word radical, getting back to the roots. Our mission is to present Jesus Christ to the world in every age.”

Kurtz continued his ferocious defense of Pope Francis by stating that, unlike many other members of the church, he is simply trying to live in the moment, and he appreciates the joy that life can bring in everyday moments.

“Our holy father comes through as someone who is just living a simple life, he’s not acting out of something, he’s simply living that life of joy. I think he lives in the present moment.”

Pope Francis will visit the United States in September, 2015. This will be the first time that he has made the trip to the U.S. He will attend the World Meeting of Families that is being held in Philadelphia.

[Image via CTV News]