Of course that's not going to happen. But there's something about the Pontiff that is touching a nerve in many people -- Catholics and non-Catholics alike -- that makes us hopeful and wishful for a different kind of leadership than what current presidential hopefuls are offering up.
What is there about him that we're looking for in our leadership?
I think the answer is that while political candidates are focused on one-upmanship the Pope is responsive to the much greater numbers of one-downmanship that make up the world including planet earth itself.
Something that people focused on one-upmanship don't get is the fear in people who feel one down, who feel dependent and who feel distrustful and lack confidence in the those above them they're dependent on.
Here are the four qualities that Pope Francis embodies that cause the one-down to feel hopeful.
- He can be trusted to not hurt you - People who are focused on being one-up do not have a fear of being hurt like the masses of people they represent. Therefore one-uppers don't understand or empathize with how important it is to those under them to not hurt them or take advantage of them. Pope Francis causes people to immediately feel that he isn't going to hurt you or take advantage of you.
- He can be trusted to not disappoint you - People who are focused on one-up and on winning will frequently and over and over again try to convince you that they are of service and then turn out to be selling or pushing a more personally ambitious political agenda. That may explain why when you look into the eyes of nearly all the political candidates (perhaps with the exception of Ben Carson and Bernie Sanders), you don't see into their hearts. Instead you see them trying to figure out how to prevent you from seeing that their personal agenda is more important to them than serving you. Pope Francis communicates a sustained sincerity that he is not going to run a "bait and switch" on you.
- He engenders confidence that he will do what he says he'll do - Political candidates are big on promises, but when it comes to a strategy that is actually doable, their believability falls off a cliff. You may disagree with the Pope, but you know where he is coming from, what he stands for, what he'll stand up for and what he will stand up against because he has a track record of already having done so. You can trust him to speak truth to power whereas you can't trust nearly all of the political candidates to speak truth to anyone.
- He shares his beliefs without making you wrong - Trump is a master not of the deal, but of the "zero sum" game. He seems to incite and galvanize the passion of all the blamers and victims of America by finding fault with nearly everyone and countering the negative with the most hollow of statements about "How great everything is going to be." Even P.T. Barnum would be shivering in his grave. In contrast, when the Pope tells you his beliefs, he doesn't tell you or order you to agree with him. He has a way of expressing his passionate opinions without coming off as opinionated and doesn't have to make you wrong in order to be right. That said he will stand up for those who are powerless to stand up for themselves, be it the poor, be it those seeking refuge or a better life in another country or be it planet earth that is being plundered by capitalism gone amuck.
The Pope has a way of offering hope to those who feel one-down by lifting them up, whereas the majority of political candidates offer fleeting excitement to the one-downers by inciting them.