In Christmas Reflections: Joe Issa Hails Pope Francis’ Humanity and Environmental Concern As one who always fights for what is right for Jamaica, you can trust Executive Chairman of Cool Corporation, Joe Issa, to recognize the good in Pope Francis’ initiatives to uphold humility and fight to save the world’s environment. So in the true spirit of sharing and reflecting at this time of year, Issa believes that humility and environmental advocacy will be Pope Francis’ legacy, while wishing him every success in his initiatives. “I don’t think we have seen a Pope so humble and taken up with the impact of environmental degradation as Pope Francis has,” says Issa, adding, “I believe that’s where his legacy lies.” Issa and his parents were famously visited at their Barbican, Kingston home by Pope John Paul during his visit to Jamaica. Issa, who is a Eucharistic Minister of the Roman Catholic Church, recalls that the moment of the papal visit for him was when he kissed his ring, a tradition and much-sought-after opportunity for the over-one billion Catholics worldwide.
When Pope John Paul II died in April 2005, Bergoglio reportedly missed becoming pope, receiving the second-most votes in the 2005 papal conclave; Pope Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger) was chosen as Pope. However, when he resigned in 2013, Bergoglio got a second chance and this time, won. Issa may well find evidence in what Pope Francis is said to have written and done. He once wrote: “I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security. I do not want a Church concerned with being at the center and then ends by being caught up in a web of obsessions and procedures,” according to an article in bio. There’s more evidence of his humility in his choosing “to live in a simple two-room apartment rather than the luxurious papal accommodations in the Vatican's Apostolic Palace. In choosing to live more simply, Pope Francis broke a tradition that had been upheld by popes for more than a century,” it said. More recently, in June 2015, Pope Francis spoke out on the environment ahead of the Paris Global Warming Conference in December. In a 184-page encyclical he warned of the dangers of climate change. “If present trends continue, this century may well witness extraordinary climate change and an unprecedented destruction of ecosystems, with serious consequences for all of us,” he wrote.
He chided world leaders for failing to “reach truly meaningful and effective global agreements on the environment,” and called for “highly polluting fossil fuels” to be “progressively replaced without delay.” The article said. It quoted Pope Francis saying that while it will be difficult to improve and protect the environment, the situation is not hopeless as human beings are also capable of rising above themselves and will choose again what is good and make a new start. “The encyclical was considered significant by environmentalists and church observers alike because it was not directed exclusively to Catholics, but to everyone in the world,” it said. Pope Francis’ his first international travel was a visit in July 2013 to Brazil. In December 2013, he was named Person of the Year by Time magazine. “To date, his tenure has been characterized by humility and outspoken support of the world's poor and marginalized people, and he has been involved actively in areas of political diplomacy and environmental advocacy,” it is said. Born to Italian immigrant, Bergoglio, as a young man is said to have undergone surgery to remove part of one of his lungs due to serious infection. However, he was able to overcome this by graduating from a technical school as a chemical technician
before beginning training at the Diocesan Seminary of Villa Devoto. In March 1958, he entered the novitiate of the Society of Jesus. He finished his doctoral thesis in theology in Freiburg, Germany in 1986. After Pope Francis was elected, President Obama wrote in a release, “As the first pope from the Americas, his selection spoke to the strength and vitality of a region that is increasingly shaping our world, and alongside millions of Hispanic Americans, those of us in the United States share the joy of this historic day,� the article said.