04/28/2014:
S&G GIVES SHOUT-OUT TO THA SAINTS: Schmaltz und Grieben certainly isn't written from a Catholic perspective, although I do keep up with developments in the Roman church and have previously profiled the late Pope John Paul II.
That having been said, I think that Pope Francis is a breath of fresh air, exactly what the church needs in these times when sinister figures like the Koch brothers, Rep. Paul Ryan, and our own Governor Scott Walker plot to steal from poor people still reeling from the global financial collapse and give their money to the rich (or make sure they can't get health care, which is nothing but a thinly-veiled eugenics program).
And I can't say I was surprised today when I found that Francis had canonized Popes John Paul II and John XXIII, about as different as two popes could be but both great men who changed the world for the better.
Being a Lutheran, you'll never catch me praying to a human being. But I do feel that it's important that great and virtuous men like Roncalli and Wojtyla are held up to such example in a world where evil men with money make far too many of the important decisions--decisions that affect the lives of millions.
Posted by Alois on