The Pope of Time Magazine?

This is a contender for Correction of the Year: In its Person of the Year online poll presentation, Time magazine initially described the case for Pope Francis as:

“The first Jesuit Pontiff won hearts and headlines with his common touch and rejection of church dogma and luxury.” 

Rejection of Church dogma?

It has since been amended with this note: “An earlier version of this post suggested that Pope Francis rejected some church dogma. He does not.”

If Pope Francis turns out to on Time’s year-end-cover, it may be in part due to misunderstanding. But that’s all right. The media can’t seem to stop talking about him. Yes there is selective listening. Yes, there is commentary and debates on the misunderstandings. But there is some listening. And if the faithful do our part and pray and work like he’s exhorting in the kind of surrender to Christ that is the Christian call, miracles may just happen.

Though this isn’t the first Time misunderstanding regarding matters of faith and fiat (the feast of the patroness of the U.S., the Immaculate Conception seems a good excuse to talk fiat), one can only hope they call upon Mary Eberstadt to further explain Pope Francis, as she does here and here for Time.

For the conversion of our hearts, and that the media, too, may always be an opportunity for Divine Mercy … let us pray!

John the Baptist, who we could afford to focus on throughout this second week of Lent, might just help us understand what Pope Francis is up to: Pointing to Christ, exhorting us to prepare our hearts — live examined lives of holiness! — so that he might give us His.