Pope Francis greeting 5th grader Omodele Ojo during his arrival in New York, Sept. 24, 2015. (Craig Ruttle-Pool/Getty Images)

NEW YORK (JTA) — This is a momentous week — not only because it is Judaism’s most sacred season, but also because as we welcome 5776, we in North America are also welcoming Pope Francis, one of the most inspiring religious leaders of our time. Rather than hiding in medieval liturgical texts, this pope has made his home in the modern world. From day one, he has been stripping away centuries of unbending and encrusted rules to uncover a living spark of godliness in an ungodly age. His words are as refreshing as they are unsettling, but his heart is always open, always ready to embrace those who have been driven ...

Ovo je veličanstveni tjedan- ne samo zato jer je to za Judaizam najsvetije vrijeme,  i zato što mi slavimo 5776 godinu, već  mi u Sjevernoj Americi imamo dobrodošli posjet  Pape Franje, jednog od najinspirativnijih vjerskih vođa našeg vremena.

Umjesto da se sakriva u srednkovjekovnim liturgijskim tekstovima, on je načinio svoj "dom" u modernom svijetu. Od orvog dana, on je izbrisao stoljeća zatvorenosti i začahurenih pravila i otvorio živu iskru Božje dobrote u stoljeću koje nije "Božje".  Njegove su riječi osvježenje , a njegovo srce je uvijek otvoreno da prihvati one koji su odbačeni .... 

Umjesto da nudi  fraze o humanom dignitetu, Papa Franjo pere noge zatvorenika i ljubi one koje je društvo odbacilo. On nije  relogijski birokrat, njegova djela su istinska. Ljudi osjećaju autentičnost i dubinu njegove vjere, koja nam se nudi i  omogućava nam da zaboravimo naše razlike.

Dalje čitajte u originalnom tekstu ( koji je napisao rabin Jacobs)

Without changing one single doctrine, he’s changed everything. Early in his papacy, he refused to wag his finger at LGBT members of his flock, asking rhetorically, “Who am I to judge?” The answer might have been, “You’re the pope, and traditionally one of your jobs has been to judge everyone and everything.” But not this pope....In his first in-depth interview after his election as pope, he expressed a stunning humility about his own belief and leadership:

“If one has the answers to all the questions — that is the proof that God is not with him. It means that he is a false prophet using religion for himself. The great leaders of the people of God, like Moses, have always left room for doubt. You must leave room for the Lord, not for our certainties; we must be humble.”

Imagine if Pope Francis had presided over the Catholic Church during World War II. How many more Jewish refugees might have found shelter in Catholic houses of worship and homes? Just days ago, as Europe’s train stations teemed with refugees from Syria and elsewhere, this pope didn’t need to convene the church’s vast hierarchy to weigh the options. 

He knew instantly that religious faith requires welcome, love and care.
As an imperative from his clear, genuine faith, Pope Francis’s advocacy is incredibly gutsy. Unafraid to take on the gods of Western civilization on behalf of the poor and voiceless, he connects the plagues of modern society to the systemic causes of poverty by confronting climate change, consumer capitalism and human rights violators... 

 ..And because he has opened the heart of the church widely to focus on what matters most, he has won the admiration of the faithful and the previously faithless. In so doing, he is giving religion a good name.