STATEMENT OF CARDINAL TIMOTHY DOLAN ON POPE FRANCIS AS TIME “PERSON OF THE YEAR”

 

The election of Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio as the successor of Saint Peter seemed to surprise many who had not yet heard of the Archbishop of Buenos Aires. While he may have been unknown at the time, since he first appeared on the balcony of Saint Peter’s Basilica on that chilly, wet evening of March 13, Pope Francis has captivated the world, as he preaches the Gospel and shares its messages of the love and mercy of God, our responsibility to care for our sisters and brothers in need, and the ever present invitation of Jesus and His Church to “come and see.” Just like Blessed Pope John Paul II was in 1995, Pope Francis has been named Time’s “Person of the Year” for presenting the Church’s timeless truths to today’s world. In all that he does, through his humble ways and simple lifestyle, Pope Francis clearly radiates the joy that comes from loving God and caring for his people. There could be no finer choice for “Person of the Year.”