Pope Francis Needs a Flak Jacket

When a charismatic individual captures the imagination of the masses, he puts himself in a very dangerous spot. The folks that really run the world get a bit edgy when they think someone might cause people to think the Powers That Be aren't really nice, and not even all that necessary. Jesus had a short time in the public eye, made the great Caesar lose sleep, and was dead at the age of 33. Abraham Lincoln shook up an entire nation with outlandish ideas about taking the US Constitution seriously about all men being equal, and never had a chance to see his dreams come to fruition. Jack and Bobby Kennedy both made the Military Industrial Complex nervous, at the same time worrying the American mafia. Talk about asking for trouble! Both were killed before they grew a grey hair. Martin Luther King made everybody in any kind of power unable to hold down breakfast, and was dead before he even hit his stride.
 Now, in the old days, somebody like Caesar could get away with putting a hit on Jesus in front of the whole Empire. Who was going to question him? In more modern times, things must be done in a more subtle way, so as not to cause a revolution. The assassin must be a loner, a loser, a misfit who somehow can successfully murder people who are well protected by professionals at all times. The Authorities explain to us that it was just a random, unexplainable, fantastic plan by a deranged individual who was looking for attention.
 The question is, if this individual was looking for attention, why did he run away and hide after he committed his glorious deed? Why did all the assassins not stand proudly up, waiting for the applause they were seeking? And how did someone so loony and disconnected from reality pull off the hit with such horrible success?
 You'll notice that all the victims mentioned inflamed the passions of the little people of society, the powerless millions that actually do the work to make the system run. The assassination attempts on Gerald Ford were real loonies, members of the Manson clan. The guy that tried to kill Reagan was just trying to impress actress Jody Foster. They were real nutjobs, and they failed because they were dysfunctional nitwits. The killers of Lincoln, the Kennedys, and King were not, and the majority of Americans still do not believe any of them acted alone, nor do I.
 Which brings me to my point. Pope Francis has already been adopted by the masses as a truly good man, a pope so desperately needed by the Catholic church if it is to survive. He makes outrageous suggestions to his bishops, saying the church must stop trying to protect itself and begin protecting the poor. He says the Vatican must pay less attention to preserving the status quo, and more to those who need help all over the world. He even says that priests should spend less time reciting the rules, and more time trying to act like Jesus!
 Sadly, it seems obvious to any student of history that no man on Earth needs protection more than Pope Francis, the Kind.