St. Joseph students find a bond with the pope

Friday, Oct. 02, 2015

OGDEN — Pope Francis touched the lives of millions of people around the world during his trip to Cuba and his historic trip to the United States Sept. 19-27. His agenda was full, beginning in Washington D.C. at the White House and ending in Philadelphia at the eighth World Meeting of Families.

As Pope Francis addressed President Barack Obama and the 11,000 ticketed guests plus military units, musicians and federal employees who waited on the White House lawn to greet him Sept. 23, students at Saint Joseph Catholic High School in Ogden were viewing him on television and listening to what he had to say. 

SJCHS students also heard the pope’s historic address in English to a joint meeting of Congress the next day. 

The five SJCHS students interviewed for this article unanimously agreed that it was important to the Catholic Church for him to visit the U.S., and that they have a closer bond with Pope Francis than they did with Pope Benedict XVI. 

Pope Francis has “provided a much better face for the Catholic Church as far as media representation,” said sophomore Christian Bartel. 

The students have discussed Pope Francis during campus ministry with Tom Tulp, theology and campus ministry teacher. 

Sophomore Brenda Carrillo said she relates to and agrees more with what Pope Francis has to say than she did with Pope Benedict XVI. “Pope Francis allows us to form opinions,” she said. “When he was in Cuba, he encouraged the people there to make a few changes and to communicate more with Americans; get to know us. I liked how he took time to pray and reflect.”

“Pope Francis lives what he preaches,” said sophomore Conner Ybaben, pointing out that Pope Francis chose to eat lunch with the homeless people in Washington D.C. rather than with the legislators. “That is a Christ-like thing to do; he is accepting of all people.”

The SJCHS students also discussed Pope Francis in their theology classes. Some of the topics brought up were immigration, life and family.

Senior Kaili Kashiwaeda is glad Pope Francis is talking about climate change even though it is controversial, adding, “It is something we need to think about.” 

Bartel said the topics of homelessness and climate change, which the pope frequently addresses, are both important, “but there are things about them I both agree with and disagree with. The poverty level is high; there are a lot of people who need food, medical treatment and a place to live; and we have to realize that we all have to live in this world and we are all responsible and affected by the dilemma of climate change.” 

Kashiwaeda added, “America is isolated from other countries and Pope Francis came to bridge the gap; we have to work for the good of all of us in our needs.”

During his visit, Pope Francis worked with some of the most powerful people in the world, as well as the most marginalized, said Tulp. “Pope Francis’ mission is for the betterment of humanity,” he said. “Pope Francis asked for blessings and good wishes from Christians and those who are not, and I think that most of our work begins when he leaves; unpacking what he has said and how that actually affects us. How will what he said affect the presidential campaign, the way the Catholic school portrays itself and our own lives individually; how will we actually take what he said and change our lives as opposed to how we allow it to just affect us for a moment?”