He rocks the Big Apple

 

Pope Francis's recent visit to the United States, capped by a meeting with President Barack Obama and an address before the United Nations, appears by most accounts to be a resounding success.

Nowhere was this most in evidence than in New York City, where thousands waited patiently for his motorcade to pass. On a few occasions, the Pope even stopped to kiss babies and children afflicted with serious illness. 

New Yorkers, after all, are used to seeing famous people and celebrities in their midst and are too focused on their jobs to bother lining up to catch a glimpse of the Supreme Pontiff.

But it appears that Pope Francis has really touched people's lives with his humility and simplicity as well as his candid statements and out-of-the-box stand on many issues confronting the Catholic Church at this time.

If anything, the warm reception for Pope Francis could signal a renewal of trust in the Catholic faith amid reports of scandals and shenanigans by some priests and prelates.

In stark contrast to the warm welcome accorded to Pope Francis by Americans, the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to the United States went largely unnoticed by the American public.

While the visit was intended to strengthen faltering Sino-US relations in the aftermath of certain issues, including island-building by China in the South China Sea, it is doubtful if the Chinese  President made much of a dent in fostering closer ties as he came across as arrogant and haughty, an attitude  born out of China's economic superpower status and consequent intensified military build-up.

If Pope Francis gets a rousing welcome in the US and China's President Xi Jinping a chilly one, then Americans must really know who their friends are, and who are not.  

Image by www.slate.com/blog