How
many reflections on life today crowd into that comparison?
Words are easier than deeds. As admirable as the spirit and
pronouncements of the new Pontiff are, he dwells in symbolism, aspiration and
hope, a realm Obama occupied five years ago when he was chosen Person of the
Year for 2008 before moving into the White House.
Power corrupts but absolute
power can be liberating. In the Vatican, Francis I reigns supreme and, with dazzling
humility, sets a new tone for the Catholic Church. In Washington, the new
President encountered a cockpit of hate to be thwarted at every turn into five
years of political impotence.
To err is human and forgive
divine but not in politics. Francis I tells an anxious world that sins of selfishness
can be overcome by modesty and love of fellow humans while Obama is pummeled
for attempting to save people from suffering and death with an imperfect
solution, originally prompted in large part by wall-to-wall political
opposition.
Time Magazine can exalt but
time itself diminishes. Francis I occupies a magazine cover in his first months on
the world stage. As he moves into making pronouncements and decisions about
issues that have racked the Catholic Church for years, will near-universal
admiration survive? Barack Obama can tell him all about loss of faith by
fervent admirers.
Human hope never dies. Even at the low point of his
tenure, the President can glimpse some daylight in a bipartisan budget deal
that the House will vote on tomorrow. Miracles may never cease.
For
the New Year those imbued by good feeling can only wish Persons of the Year
past and present the best of luck in their spiritual and mortal endeavors on
behalf of us all.
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