Pope Francis took the United Nations General Assembly in New York by storm (and by surprise). There was no entourage of aides. According to the official United Nations programme, the Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu was to be the last speaker but even before he finished his five minutes address, most of the press had made their exit. The Holy Father was garbed in a simple white cassock with a purple cummerbund and pink tassels round his waist. His shoes were actually open sandals.
Regardless, he looked radiant, magnificent and magnetic. According to the Pontiff, the Church had become “obsessed” with abortion, gay marriage and contraception and become a church of “small-minded rules”. Unlike his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI who openly canvassed for a smaller purer church, Pope Francis wants an inclusive one which is “home for all”.
Then he dropped the atomic bomb:
“I have set up a new council of eight cardinals who have started meeting to offer guidance from outside the Vatican’s Roman Curia (The bureaucracy was vehemently criticized by John Allen on CNN for being dysfunctional and self-serving). Their task is to reform the Curia.”
Even before the Holy Father had finished speaking, Professor Alberto Melloni of the University of Modena, Italy was on Al Jazeera:
“This is the most important step in the history of the church in last one thousand years.”
The Holy Father was not done yet. He boldly confessed:
“We are a church of sinners but we must not be afraid of holiness. Do not be afraid to aim for holiness and turn yourselves over to the love of God. Holiness does not mean performing extraordinary things but carrying out daily things in an extraordinary way that is with love, joy and faith.”
Pope Francis asked in what sense the Church could be holy if we look at its 2000-year history and its trials, problems and moments of darkness. “But how can a Church made up of human beings, of sinners, be holy?”
Referring to St Paul’s letter to the Ephesians (5: 25-26), he said that it is Christ’s love for the Church and his sacrifice that renders that Church holy. The reasons, he continues, are three-fold: firstly, the Church is faithful to God, who does not abandon it to the “powers of death and evil”; secondly, because it is “united in an everlasting way to Jesus Christ”, and thirdly because it is led by the Holy Spirit “who purifies, transforms and renews it”. “We do not make the Church holy”, he said. “God the Holy Spirit does.”
“The Church is not without sin because it is made up of sinners. Priests, sisters, bishops, cardinals and even Popes are sinners.” Pope Francis warned the United Nations not to believe the misconception that the Church is filled only with the “pure” and that all others are to be “removed”. “This is not true! “He exclaimed. “This is heresy!”
He concluded by recalling the parable of the prodigal son, reminding the UN that God waits for us with open arms and celebrates when we return. God wants us to be a part of a Church that opens its doors to everyone so they may find God’s tender mercy and forgiveness. “Every Christian is called to holiness.”
What made the Holy Father’s foray into the Lion’s Den (like Daniel) even more remarkable was that earlier in the day, at the crack of dawn, when we were summoned to breakfast with the Pope, we did not believe it was for real. All the “Senior Elders from Nigeria” were invited but the venue turned out to be a simple cafeteria in Brooklyn nowhere near the plush hotels on Central Park.
It was an amazing spectacle. Here was the Pontiff himself in the queue like everyone else. The Holy Father preferred to serve than be served. Such divine humility is rare.
Anyway, from Brooklyn, the Pontiff set off for Harlem to give comfort and hope to the poor and downtrodden – drug addicts, prostitutes, the unemployed (and unemployable) and the various species of the dregs of society. The Holy Father touched them, hugged them kissed babies (white, black, Hispanic etc) without qualms. It was like watching a miracle worker at work. The Holy Father’s message was profound. He had not come all the way from the Vatican to New York just to hobnob with the rich and powerful. He was there and would always be there for those whom society had rejected and who in turn had rejected society.
On his way out of New York, the Holy Father went through airport security at John F Kennedy (JFK) Airport like every other passenger. No hassle; no fuss. He had no baggage anyway. Not even hand luggage. All he had was a rosary in his right hand and a cross hanging from his neck. The Bible was firmly in his pocket.
On arrival in Rome, the Pontiff hailed a cab and was back at his desk at the Vatican. The first item on his agenda for the day was to announce that he had appointed a new Prime Minister/Secretary of State, veteran diplomat Pietro Parolin who once served in Nigeria to replace Tarcisio Bertone who served under Pope Benedict and was widely criticized over the “Vatileaks” scandals of 2012. Leaked highly sensitive documents revealed very embarrassing details of pervasive corruption and vicious infighting within the corridors (and bedroom!!) of power in the Vatican.
Cardinal Bertone had made a pre-emptive strike on CNN while the Holy Father was away in New York. He told journalist John Allen:
“Of course there were a lot of problems, particularly in the last two years and some accusations were levied against me. But this should not darken what I see as a positive overall result. Also, we missed some things, because problems were kept locked away by some people who did not contact the Secretary of State.”
In New York, both Angelo Luigi the owner of the cafeteria where the Pope had hosted breakfast in Brooklyn and the taxi driver Malcolm Y Why who had driven the Holy Father to JFK Airport became instant heroes. They were both ecstatic on “Good Morning America” (CBS) and the Jon Smith Show (celebrity interview).
It turns out the Pope was an excellent guest/passenger as well as a generous tipper.
60-year-old taxi-driver Malcolm Y Why was overwhelmed with joy:
“I am blessed. Blessed by the Holy Father. Anyone who wants to ride in my taxi must pay extra.”
As for gusty Violetta Tyson, an 87-year-old resident of Harlem, her verdict on the Pope’s visit was rendered in poetry:
“Harlem was in turmoil. What we feared was thunderstorm, lightening and earthquake. But what God Almighty sent us was an angel dressed as a Pope.”
More accolades for the Pope were on twitter and the rest of social media:
(i) French Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran: “The Pope’s new Prime Minister, Cardinal Pietro Parolin is an excellent choice, an efficient man, a good negotiator and very balanced. He is a reformer who is also eager to improve relations with China and Israel.”
(ii) CNN Vatican analyst – John Allen: “The appointment of the new Secretary of State/Prime Minister is the most important single administrative act carried out by the new Pope since his election last March. It complements the reform of the Vatican Bank which had allegedly turned a blind eye to money laundering (and dry cleaning) by some of its clients;
(iii) Senior Elders From Nigeria: “The Holy Father has appointed a committee of Catholic chartered accountants to advise him on economic and financial issues. When it concerns purely spiritual matters, the Holy Father is very forthright and compassionate. However, when it comes to matters of the flesh, his consistent refrain is:
“Who am I to judge others?”
(iv) Archbishop Pietro Parolin was very forthright when on Wednesday 11 September 2013, he was shown live on NBC. The new Secretary of State of the Vatican ruffled not a few feathers when he asserted:
“Clerical celibacy is not Church dogma. It can and should be debated. Celibacy is not an institution but look, it is also true you can discuss it because it is not a dogma of the Church. The efforts the Church made to keep ecclesiastical celibacy, to impose ecclesiastical celibacy, have to be taken into consideration. One cannot say simply that it belongs to the past.”
Sample: “BREAKING NEWS” NBC
Headline: “LAWYER CATCHES WIFE IN BED WITH OKADA RIDER” (“Saturday Mirror” newspaper September 21, 2013)
“A lawyer, Terkula Pepe, has dragged his wife, Joy, before a Makurdi magistrate court over an allegation that he caught her in bed with a commercial motorcycle rider.
Terkula, who sought the dissolution of their five-year marriage, told the court led by Magistrate Felicia Ikyegh, that Joy was adulterous, untruthful and disrespectful.
He said, “My wife never had any respect for me throughout our marriage. She brought in her lover, an Okada boy, who usually conveys her home and they were having sex right inside my bedroom.
Despite all these, I still opened a mini shop for her with N550,000. Unfortunately she ran the shop aground.”
The magistrate said, “It is very clear from the evidence before me that the respondent, apart from being unfaithful to the husband, committed so many other atrocities.
“It is also a shame that she deceived herself and her husband for three years on the pretext of schooling at the Benue State University. She never attended a single lecture but was collecting schools fees for the said years.
The magistrate noted that the wife, “whimsically agreed to have a divorce – without denying the allegations.”
Terkula said, “Throughout our marriage, I was subjected to severe mental and psychological torture by the acts of my wife.
“My legal profession is currently under threat by her numerous atrocities and her refusal to be trained or develop educationally or vocationally since our marriage.”
Consequently, the court dissolved the marriage.”
Headline: ‘MY WIFE BEATS ME MERCILESSLY’
“An Osogbo Grade III Customary Court has dissolved the 17-year marriage of Asimiyu Oladosu over frequent beatings by the wife.
Oladosu told the court that his wife, Kehinde, was fond of beating him whenever he returns from church or outings.
He said that the marriage was blessed with three children, but that he could no longer bear his wife’s attitude.
He said, “I am tired of this marriage due to frequent beatings by my wife as well as her nagging nature.
She does not go to church and whenever I go to church or vigil, she will not allow me into the house and if she does, she beats me mercilessly. Based on these facts, I want the court to dissolve our union,” he said.
His wife admitted that she usually beats him, but that she did so under the influence of what she called an ‘unknown spirit.’
Kehinde, who cried profusely, prayed the court to settle the matter amicably, adding that she still loves her husband.
“What my husband said is true. I always beat him but I do not know what usually comes over me whenever I do it. I still love my husband and I want the matter to be settled amicably. I don’t want to leave him and I promise that I will never beat him again,” the wife said.
The President of the court, Mrs. Temilade Agboola, pleaded on behalf of the woman and asked the man to forgive her.
But Oladosu refused and maintained that the he preferred divorce.
Agboola said that since the husband wanted divorce, there was nothing the court could do but to grant the request.
She dissolved the marriage and ordered that the wife should take custody of the three children.
Agboola also ordered Oladosu to pay a monthly upkeep of N9,000 to the children.”
It turns out that the Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-Moon brought in some element of fresh air into this year’s General Meeting. Apart from Bono (from “U2”) who is already the United Nations Ambassador for Poverty, Jay Z was also invited to speak. Here is the report by Bloomberg television:
“Hip hop mogul Jay Z, one of the richest men in the music industry, has admitted he got his business skills from drug dealing.
He said selling crack cocaine on the streets of New York during the 1980s gave him the skills to succeed later in life.
‘I know about budgets. I was a drug dealer’ said the 43-year-old who is married to singer Beyonce. ‘To be in a drug deal, you need to know what you can spend, what you need to re-up.’
Jay Z has never hidden his past as a drug dealer before he found fame and fortune as a music producer.
He revealed that he was part of the crack cocaine epidemic that blighted the streets of New York and was responsible for hundreds of deaths.
Jay Z said he now regrets being part of the drug problem but said at the time he was only thinking about the money.
‘Not until later, when I realized the effects on the community,’ he said. ‘I started looking at the community on the whole, but in the beginning no.
‘I was thinking about surviving, I was thinking about improving my situation. I was thinking about buying clothes.’
Jay Z, real name Shawn Carter, started his career as a rapper before becoming one of the most influential forces in hip hop music.
In 2008 he married Beyonce and the couple has an 18-month-old child Blue Ivy.
The pair is the richest couple in the music business with an estimated fortune of more than $750 million between them.
Jay Z disclosed that the most important plan a drug dealer can have is to get out of the business.
You have to have an exit strategy, because your window (for dealing drugs) is very small. You’re going to get locked up or you’re going to die.”
The Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-Moon was a very warm and generous host at the breakfast meeting he hosted for the “Senior Elders From Nigeria”. He was clearly elated that Nigeria’s Inspector-General of Police, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar was on a working visit to the United Nations.
After breakfast with the Secretary-General, he would have lunch with the Under-Secretary General Department of Peace Keeping Operations (DPKO), Kofi Anan’s former position before he became Secretary-General. It is going to be a very busy day with just a short break for lunch with the Assistant Secretary-General Office of Rule of Law and Security Institution (ORLSI).
Tea and coffee break will be hosted by UN Under Secretary-General Department of Field Support before a “Technical Session” with the UN Police Adviser.
As a mark of the high esteem in which Alhaji Abubakar is held, Mr Raymond Kelly Police Commissioner of the New York Police Department will host a dinner in Abubakar’s honour.
However, back home, policemen were threatening to go on strike over transfer to Northern States of Nigeria where “Boko Haram” terrorists have launched bombing attacks on police stations and policemen.
Fortunately, on the occasion of the recent Eid-el Kabir, Fox news carried the following BREAKING NEWS:
Headline: “CAN CELEBRATES WITH MUSLIM FAITHFULS,
CALLS FOR PEACEFUL CO-EXISTENCE”
“The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), has said that it was happy with the Muslim ummah on the joyous occasion of the celebration of the Eid-el Kabir and wished the President-General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Alhaji Saad Abubakar III and indeed all Muslims a happy celebration.
The President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, in a statement issued in Abuja urged the Muslim ummah to use the advantage presented by this celebration to pray fervently for peace, security, good governance and development of the country.
He said at occasions like the celebration of Eid-el Kabir, prayers should center on the re-establishment of the pillars of love and tolerance for which Islam was known and admonished Muslims to shun acts that are unpleasant to the senses which are qualities not assigned to Islam.
While urging them to use the occasion of this celebration to understand the Prophet (pbuh) (peace be unto him), Pastor Oritsejafor wished all Muslims the good rewards that come with the Eid-el Kabir, adding that the opportunity of this celebration should be used to seek Islam through its own sources and true representatives.
“Adherents of Islam should always remember that life is God’s foremost blessing and that the true and everlasting life is the Hereafter and therefore imbibe contentment and peace, two of the many principles of Islam that are so commonplace in a Muslim’s life”.
Written By Bashorun J.K. Randle, OFR, FCA
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