No, I’m not talking about a prediction the Pope might make. This is a prediction I’m making about the Holy Father.
Here goes: within the next week, Pope Francis will do something that will agitate lots of people. I doubt he will do this intentionally. But it will happen because he is roaming about being a compassionate Pope and acting like a Roman Catholic.
I don’t know what he is going to do, but I can predict the reactions from various categories of commentators. So, just for the sake of this fascinating analysis, let’s assume that the Pope goes for a walk near the Vatican and stops by one of the local coffee bars for a cappuccino. The cappuccino is really yummy in Rome, and I’m sure the Holy Father would enjoy a cup.
So, he gets his cappuccino and puts a packet of white sugar in it, stirs it a bit and enjoys. There really shouldn’t be anything especially controversial about this, but (of course) an enterprising smart-phone user has captured the entire caffeine-indulgent scene and posts it on Facebook.
Goodness what a clatter begins.
The Society for the Consumption of Unadulterated Cappuccino immediately issues a statement decrying the Pope’s use of sugar. They are joined in a protest in St. Peter’s Square by the Italian Dietary Federation, which believes sugar is bringing on the death of society.
Meanwhile, the Barista International Union sends an angry letter to the Vatican, noting that by stirring his cappuccino the Pope had disrupted the artistic foam gracing the top of the drink.
At the other end of the spectrum, the Association of Congenial Coffee Consumers calls for the Pope to use two packets of sugar in the future, avoiding the bitterness and divisiveness that accompanies under-sweetened cappuccino.
This may sound silly, but I’m telling you it is going to happen. No matter what Pope Francis does, people get excited. And cappuccino is just one thing. Imagine what would happen if he washed a woman’s feet, was compassionate to a sinner or suggested that Catholics should spread the gospel?
I just hope he doesn’t dunk a biscotte in his cappuccino!
