This issue is filled with lots of history and details of the Papacy and the Catholic Church as well as insight into this beautiful and enlightened leader.

I haven’t been this excited about spirituality since my first trip to India 20 years ago. The Peoples Pope, Pope Francis. From this name follows much of Francis’ agenda. His message is from the heart and he is expressing a true healing for all religions… A message for spirituality that has joy in it. “Don’t just preach; listen, he says. Don’t scold; heal.”

With this new Pope, I had developed a strong call to travel to Assisi, Italy and was fortunate to make the journey this past October. I highly recommend this pilgrimage to everyone. Assisi is powerful and beautiful and very mystical. Assisi is where the Tomb of St Francis is and let’s not forget about the tomb of St. Claire…Francis’s cohort. I even traveled to The Holy House of Loreto, where I was inspired to take confession and guess what…the Basilica didn’t fall down. LOL. (A wild story) The Holy House is alleged to be the house where Mary was born and raised, and where an Angel told her she would be the mother of Jesus. In 1295 the shrine finally found its resting place in Italy, all the way from Nazareth.

Pope Francis on … WOMEN. “It is necessary to broaden the opportunities for a stronger presence of woman in the church…The feminine genius is needed wherever we make important decisions.” BRILLIANT!!! Could Pope Francis be channeling a little of St Claire?