Pope Francis: 'Superstar'?

You might want to apply that term to a visitor:

-- who attracts cheering crowds wherever he goes;
-- celebrates Mass attended by hundreds of thousands of people;
-- addresses a joint session of the U-S Congress;
-- addresses the U-N General Assembly;
and -- tours the streets in an open vehicle, which often stops en route, so he can kiss babies!
However, according to Vatican Radio, the Holy Father rejects that label, By saying, "I'm not a star, but the servant of servants of God."
He spent nine days touring Cuba and major cities in the United States: Washington, New York, and Philadelphia.
His grueling schedule included all the major events noted above, along with visits to a 'soup kitchen' in Washington, an elementary school in Harlem, and a maximum correctional facility in Philadelphia.
It was during these latter events, especially after a lengthy liturgical ceremony, that he appeared more animated. His face would immediately light up, his eyes would assume a twinkle, and of course, he got to kiss a lot of babies, as well as a number of handicapped persons.
Here are some of the impressions I gathered from watching the events of his visit on TV:
-- Many of the verteran TV journalists, men and women, (as well as Catholic "expert" commentators) were positively 'gushing' much of the time, especially when he traveled by their broadcast location.
-- Some of the news networks did not quite know how to cover the Mass. For example, the TV directors in Cuba had no idea about the various elements within the ceremony, and couldn't keep up with the flow of the prayers.
-- U-S statiions would sometimes break in to the coverage of Mass, to talk on and on about the political importance of what was happening, or even to run commercials!
-- The coverage on CNN and MSNBC, while talkative, was usually quite good. But the best presentation of Mass came from (oddly enough!) the Fox news Channel. They spoke little, while showing the captions of the parts of the liturgy on the screen. The Canadian religious channel 'Salt and Light TV' carried all events with minimal English or French commentary.
-- The choral singing in both Cuba and the U-S was wonderful, as was the work of various Lectors and other Mass Ministers.
-- In motorcades, Pope Francis shunned the long-black-limo, in favour of a small, black Italian 'Fiat,' but always with the back seat window open and his arm waving for the crowds.
-- As the Holy Father made his way in the 'Popemobile' to celebrate Mass in Philadelphia on Sunday, he would stop quite often when he saw a baby or a toddler in the front of the crowd.
Then, one of the overworked security guards (all clad in black business suits while walking/running beside the vehicle), would fetch the young one, bring him/her to Pope Francis to kiss or embrace, and then return the tyke back to "glowing" parents!
I simply enjoyed watching these memorable events on TV, and got to see as many as I could, live. At the end of each Mass, his final message was, "Please pray for me."
In Philadelhia, he added softly, "Don't forget."
Bless You, Pope Francis!
I will humbly defer, Dear Reader, to expert political and theological commentators to discuss the long-term implications of his visit.