POPE FRANCIS: Shakin' It Up!

       Following his brokering a deal between the US and Cuba, the Pope moved back to Vatican City to announce some changes coming to his organization.  Long known for glacial speeds when it comes to changes, Pope Francis is applying some needed lubrication to the process.
      His meeting this week with the CURIA, the College of Cardinals, the Pope lambasted the entrenched interests among the group, calling them out as gossipers, careerists, Alzheimer-infected thinkers, and self-centered bloc builders.   There is change coming to the Catholic Church and its 1 billion followers.
      Pope Francis is on a mission, a mission delayed by the appointment of his predecessor, Pope Benedict who retired rather than pass on while in office.  No doubt, Pope Francis had friends in high places.   It was only a few months ago he fired some of the directors of the Vatican Bank, after years of mismanagement and questionable business practices.   What is particularly interesting is the timing: during Christmas Tide, that period of the liturgical calendar that involves some of the most public ceremonies of Christendom.  Multitudes of pilgrims are en route to the Holy Land and Bethlehem in particular.
      The Pope also announced a planned trip to the USA to speak on social issues and justice.   Today, Christmas Eve, the Pope attended a Vatican City event to give thanks to the gardeners and church workers who keep the Cathedral of Saint Peter's in good shape.  He is a man of the people.