Pope Frank Absent From Opening Mass In Rio De Janeiro

Happening now:  The pope misses the opening Mass in Rio de Janeiro on World Youth Day, 2013.  He got there and did not even bother to say "hello" to the crowd expecting to see him.   The homily was delivered by Archbishop Tempesta.  What is the pope's excuse?  I cannot think of any [1].  He should have just stayed "home," taking an advice he gave to others who wanted to go to Rome to celebrate his papal installation, to save the cost of the trip and donate it.  His absence is disappointing, I assume, for many who are at the Mass to see him.  Perhaps his fans would come to realize that he is not Francis of Assisi in any way, shape or form.  It would be true humility to embrace the flock, to lead the world's youth in person (that is what he is there for), not to ensconce himself in an undisclosed location.  He insulted (betrayed) those who believed him to be a good pope, the Catholic church and perhaps even Christ Himself. [2] His choice to sit with reporters in the plane to Rio, to ride in a non-flashy car from the airport -  all that is for show, for media and public consumption.  He is a fake Francis.  Starting with this entry, he is demoted in this blog to pope frank.

[1] But I can speculate.  I think he is throwing a tantrum, thinking that he is now pope and that security should have been flawless but as it turned out, security was breached even though his life was never in danger. As a result, he is consumed with fear and anger and could not bring himself to say the opening Mass.  He is nothing but a coward who roars like a lion in the security of his own den but in the face of danger, he is nothing like a representative of Christ, a lamb that is fearless in the face of danger and goes willingly to his/her death for Christ.  What a pathetic character.  To be a true disciple of Christ is to be ever so ready to die for the sake of Christ, not hide behind a bullet-proof popemobile as JP2 did after the assassination attempt.  It flies in the face of faith in God to have such protection and JP2 is to become a saint - ludicrous.  I suppose it takes a faithless coward to canonize another faithless coward.  The Pope, the Vicar of Christ, should be a faithful disciple who walks in the footsteps of Christ and never fears mortal death.  Pope Benedict XVI, a startling contrast to the idiots before and after him, said: "Following Christ as [H]is disciple is a life lived at the place where Jesus stands, and this place is the Passion.  In it, and nowhere else, is [H]is glory present." [3]
[2] Repeating a thought from an earlier entry in this blog, perhaps Saint Malachy was right, he is the last pope.  The Church needs to be rebuilt by a true Francis.
[3] Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, On The Way To Jesus Christ, trans. Michael J. Miller, (San Francisco:  Ignatius Press, 2005), 16.