Ok, you won’t believe this but Pope Francis rang me last week.
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Pope: Hello, Is this the Bishop of Limerick, Ireland, Bishop Brendan Leahy?
Me: Who is this at 3am?
Pope: The Pope.
Me: Which one?
Pope: Pope Francis. Is this Bishop Brandan Leahy?
Me: In a few years, but it’s currently Fr Brendan Lee, your Holiness.
Pope: Ohh! So you’re only a priest then, not even a bishop?
Me: Ohh! So you’re only a Pope then?
No, your Holiness.
Pope: Okay. Goodbye.
Me: Wait! Why were you ringing?
Pope: I was going to invite you to a seminar in the Vatican.
Me: “I’ll come!”
Pope: I thought you were a Bishop Lee
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Me: “Well then I must be a Bishop Lee.”
Pope: “No, I made a mistake”
Me: “How can you make a mistake? You’re infallible!”
Pope: “But you’re not a bishop!”
Me: “Yeah, but if anyone in the Church can fix that problem it’s you! And we currently don’t have a bishop!”
Stay tuned.
I’ve heard a lot of criticism of Pope Francis from so-called “good Catholics, most recently in response to his efforts to re-establish diplomatic ties with the communist Chinese government, which will probably include a deal on the appointment of bishops.
He’s living up to his name – being frank. Christians make up less than three per cent of the world’s most populous country and their persecution is well documented.
It’s a country allegedly forcefully sterilising parents, horrendously fire walling the internet and even blocking the distribution of Bibles.
Yes, the communists may appoint unsavoury bishops, but unsavoury bishops are sometimes appointed even in the free world.
People can embrace the truth, even if their bishop is untrue, but they can’t if all access to the truth is blocked.
St John Paul II, one of the greatest Christian teachers of the last century.
He graduated from and lectured at Lublin University in Poland while under communist control.
Pope Pius XI successfully negotiated freedom with Mussolini.
St Peter taught “honour the emperor” (1Pet 2:17) in an empire persecuting the Church.
St Paul taught us to pray for those in authority “that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness” (1Tim2:2).
The Chinese are industrious and humble and I believe when the Chinese discover Jesus the whole world will discover Jesus.
And I’m not just talking up the Chinese because my name is Lee.