9. He auctioned his motorcycle to benefit the homeless In October, Francis donated his own Harley Davidson motorcycle to fund a hostel and soup kitchen in Rome.
10. He acknowledged that atheists can be good people Earlier in 2013, Pope Francis spoke out against the common interpretation within the Church that atheists, by nature, are bad people.
He stated that, “Atheists should be seen as good people if they do good.”
After meeting the Pope, the openly atheist president of Uruguay, Jose Mujica, compared Francis to a friendly neighbor.
11. He condemned the global financial system In May, Francis denounced the global financial system for tyrannizing the poor and turning humans into expendable consumer goods.
He believes that, “Money has to serve, not to rule!"
12. He fought child abuse The Catholic Church has been rocked in recent years by allegations and admissions of child abuse by members of the Church. Pope Francis became the first Pope to take effective action against such atrocities.
He amended Vatican law to make sexual abuse of children a …show more content…
Violence never leads to peace. War leads to war, violence leads to violence.”
14. He redirected employee bonuses to charity When a new Pope is elected, Vatican employees receive a bonus.
Upon his election, the extra money was given to directly to charity instead.
15. He spoke out against the Church’s ‘obsession’ with abortion, gay marriage and contraception In a voice of reason, Francis shocked the Catholic world when he stated that the Church was an unhealthy obsession with abortion, gay marriage, and contraception.
He criticized the Church for putting dogma before love, and for prioritizing moral doctrines over serving the poor and marginalized.
16. He called for cooperation between Christians and Muslims During his Angelus address, Francis paid respect to the end of Ramadan.
He stated that both Christians and Muslims worship the same God, and he hoped that Christians and Muslims would work together to promote mutual respect.
17. He took part in a selfie In what might be his most progressive feat of all, Pope Francis met with youngsters to be part of a truly remarkable selfie. His is embracing the present, and he is undoubtedly taking the Church to