Pope Francis, why don't you smile?

Pope isn't smiling despite happy occasion.

Pope Francis, why don't you smile? A photo of Pope Francis is making the rounds on social media, and it has people asking, why isn't the Holy Father smiling?

LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) - On Monday, Pope Francis has his photo taken with two new spokespeople for the Vatican. In the picture, Paloma Garcia Ovejero, 40 and Greg Burke, 56 stand beside Pope Francis. Both are smiling because this is a great moment in their lives. Not only do they get to meet the Pope, they get to work for him!

But Pope Francis stands between them, and he's not smiling. In fact, he looks a little tired, perhaps of always having his picture taken.

Pope Francis is legendary for his no-nonsense, no-frills approach to his work. He is not a showman and has no flair for the dramatic. This approach to his work has made him popular with people around the globe. He resides in a guest house, he doesn't wear fancy regalia, and even though he is more popular than any rock star, he does not carry himself as a celebrity. He is known to mingle with the people, especially the poor and sick.

Pope Francis doesn't smile much because he has the world's most important job. He is responsible for pointing the way to heaven for every single soul on Earth. And it must be sad to see that only a fraction of the world's souls care to listen to his important message.

Pope Francis must oversee the conduct of the world's 1.3 billion Catholics. He must ensure that his clergy conduct themselves as professionals. He must guarantee that the teaching of the Church is never corrupted. He must try to eradicate poverty and hunger at the same time. It's not
an easy job!

Of course, Pope Francis does sometimes smile. And when he does, it feels like a sunrise on a happy day. While his work is hard, it also has its pleasures. Pope Francis can take joy in every child that is fed, in every person that is helped, and every soul that is saved.

While we congratulate Paloma and Greg on their new job in service to the Holy Father, we aren't going to fault Pope Francis for not smiling too much in the picture. He does a job that no human being could do but for the grace of God alone. And knowing that we have a man like Pope Francis on the Throne of St. Peter makes the rest of us smile, a lot.

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