The July issue of the Italian edition of Vanity Fair magazine has dedicated its front cover to Pope Francis, with the title “Francesco Papa Coraggio”
(Francis Pope Courage) and his appeal for the forgotten immigrants who
lost their lives trying to reach the southern Italian island of
Lampedusa: “Chi ha pianto per la morte di questi fratelli e sorelle?
Domandiamo al Signore la grazia di piangere sulla nostra indifferenza”
(“Who cried for the deaths of these brothers and sisters?... Let us ask the Lord for the grace to weep over our indifference”).
According to Italian Vanity Fair, Pope Francis illustrated what he meant when he said “be shepherds who have the smell of their sheep” by visiting Lampedusa. He illustrated his message with powerful words and gestures.
“The Pope has only been in office for little more than a hundred days and he has already come top of the list of world leaders who have made history. But the revolution continues,” Vanity Fair stressed. The magazine interviewed five people about the Pope from the other side of the world.”
Meanwhile, Pope Francis’ sober style and rejection of vanity have shone through again with his request for the removal of a statue dedicated to him.
The statue was erected ten days ago in the gardens of the Cathedral of Buenos Aires, Bergoglio’s home church.
Argentinean newspaper Clarín reports that the minute Francis found out about the statue he telephone the cathedral in person and demanded it be “removed immediately.”
The statue is the work of artist Fernando Pugliese, who has created other monuments dedicated to John Paul II and Mother Theresa and also designed Buenos Aires’ religious theme park, Tierra Santa (Holy Land).
What remains to be seen now is whether the Pope’s veto will also extend to the museum which heads of the Argentinean Church wanted to open inside the cathedral.
Clarín pointed out that the project, which was announced two weeks ago, has currently been suspended because more objects still need to be added to the collection.