Pope Francis' Gentle Revolution: Inside Rolling Stone's New Issue

[rug]

The times they are a-changin’ at the Vatican



Pope Francis on the cover of Rolling Stone.

January 28, 2014 7:15 AM ET
Stefano Spaziani

Sarah Palin has described Pope Francis as "kind of liberal." Rush Limbaugh has used the phrase "pure Marxism" to describe the pope's idea that a modern "culture of prosperity" has deadened people to the miseries of the poor. And many more conservatives have questioned his comment on homosexual priests – "Who am I to judge?" So just who is Pope Francis?

Rolling Stone sent contributing editor Mark Binelli inside the Vatican to deliver a portrait of His Holiness, a man who was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio 77 years ago in Buenos Aires, for the cover story in our new issue (on stands Friday). What he learned was that Pope Francis is making a noticeable break from Vatican tradition, facing political issues head on and presenting a more all-inclusive attitude toward human rights – and that Catholics are appreciative.

In less than a year since his papacy began, Pope Francis has done much to separate himself from past popes and establish himself as a people's pope. Francis chose not to reside in the papal palace, but to stay in the Vatican guest house, freeing himself of the insulation of Vatican clergymen. He opts to ride around town in a Ford Focus instead of a chauffeured limo. He pays his own hotel bills and keeps his agenda. And, while Binelli was in Italy, he told a congregation in the piazza that was weathering a storm that he wished he could come down to be with them. "He seems to really mean it," Binelli reported.

A Vatican insider commented on the way Francis has opted for privacy and independence in a way his predecessors haven't. "John Paul II and Benedict both had an inner circle so this is very disconcerting to the people on the inside," he told Rolling Stone. "Does Francis have a war room? No, probably not. But who is he talking to back there? No one really knows."

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[big_dog]

1. he is one righteous dude