Pope: 2017 will be good and Kumbaya

Vatican City -- Pope Francis spoke to his flock for New Year's Sunday. He said that 2017 will be a good year if people do good and reject hatred, rather than doing bad and embracing hatred. He prayed for those who courageously deal with terrorism gripping the world in "fear and bewilderment."

According to Vocabulary.com, bewilderment is "a state of being confused and puzzled. Bewilderment means not understanding, but it goes beyond that--it implies a state of complete mystification. People experience bewilderment when they are utterly baffled by the situation at hand."

This should definitely concern us to think that the spiritual leader of 1.2 billion Catholics has no clue about what's behind the terrorism in the world. 

I mean, gee, the terrorist are screaming "Allahu Akbar" which means, in Arabic, "Allah is greatest" when they blow themselves up, or start shooting, or drive a truck into a crowd of people. They're willing to die for their beliefs. 

I can't imagine what that's all about, but if it walks like Islam and prays like Islam, it's probably Islam.

"The new year will be good on the measure in which each of us, with the help of God, tries to do good, day by day, that's how peace is created," the pontiff told a crowd of 50,000 pilgrims, tourists and Romans gathered in St. Peter's Square for his noon blessing and New Year's Day remarks.

It will also be good if Islamic terrorism could be eliminated from the earth. "Saying 'no' to hate and violence" sounds noble, but it's not going to stop Islamic extremists from killing you--in fact, they're going to laugh when they see your impotent method of retaliation. 

Saying no to violence and hate is not going to stop violence and hate because Islamic extremists don't see what they are doing as anything more than their religious duty.

Francis also said that humility and tenderness are signs of strength, not weakness.

Yes, they are signs of character strength, but they're sure as hell going to get you killed in the face of terrorism. 

"Unfortunately, violence has struck even on this night of well-wishes and hope," he said, referring to the Istanbul nightclub attack Sunday that left 39 dead and dozens wounded by a terrorist dressed as Santa Claus. 

"In sorrow, I express my closeness to the Turkish people, I pray for the numerous victims and wounded, and for all the nations in mourning," he said. He prayed that God will sustain "all men of goodwill who courageously roll up their sleeves to deal with the plague of terrorism and this bloodstain which is gripping the world in a shadow of fear and bewilderment."

Bewilderment?

Have a safe and happy new year.



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