It is obvious that the present Pontiff of the Catholic Church is living in a greater bubble than ever before and certainly more than any of his predecessors.
Take where he lives in the Vatican - on the top floor of the apostolic palace away from the multitudes and high above the city of Rome. It is an aloof residence, far higher than the President of Italy, or France or the Queen of England.
When he walks down the main aisle of the basilica, he is cordoned off by wide barriers, a flock of guards and attendants. It is got worse since a woman jumped the barrier some weeks ago and knocked him down. But whose fault was that? They should have seen her coming as she got up and over the barrier. Any security guard worth his pay would have seen her coming and rushed up and stopped her. Lax guards.
But out in the crowds the pope is cut off.
This is bad for all.
The Founder of the whole firm 2000 years ago walked amongst the people. Even John Paul II did this to a high degree after he was nearly shot dead. But he did it. Force of personality and the present pope, regretably, does not have the force of personality to do this. Archbishop of a diocese for only 5 years, for the past 28 years he has been a Church bureaucrat distanced from the people, living in his own private apartment and having an office to which he walked to every day. Not very pastoral.
No, the sad fact is, the Pope is now cut off from the people more and more. They can't touch him, speak to him, be close to him any more. What a sad fate for the successor of the fisherman Peter and the other apostles who walked freely amongst us.
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