UNITED STATES
CNN
By Donna Brazile, CNN Political Commentator
Editor’s note: Donna Brazile, a CNN contributor and a Democratic strategist, is vice chairwoman for voter registration and participation at the Democratic National Committee. She is a nationally syndicated columnist, an adjunct professor at Georgetown University and author of “Cooking with Grease: Stirring the Pot in America.” She was manager for the Gore-Lieberman presidential campaign in 2000.
(CNN) — As a practicing Catholic all my life, my faith and the church are never far from my mind. The lessons I learned in the church have structured the way I’ve approached my life and my career. They were lessons of grace, kindness, forgiveness and compassion.
Under Pope Francis, we have seen a change at the Vatican that is reflective of the church I know and love. He approaches controversial doctrine or past wrongdoing with humility, understanding and faith in the goodness of mankind. He has served as a voice for the voiceless, and has been working to re-establish the church as a home for the homeless.
The church is moving into a new era, where its leadership understands that what makes the church strongest is when it acknowledges, in Pope Francis’ words, “We all make mistakes and we need to recognize our weaknesses.”
The true potential that this new era holds is Pope Francis’ embrace of the lesson that how we forgive those mistakes and how we grow from those weaknesses is what defines us, and defines our faith.
Pope Francis himself recently acknowledged that the church must grow and change, including in how it trains its clergy, lest the church find itself — these are his words — “creating little monsters.”
Recently, I saw “Philomena,” a film that I believe illustrates the need for this new era, and the potential that it holds.
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