Thank you for teaching us the importance of Gospel Joy with your words and your actions!
The following statement from the USCCB summarizes the first year of his pontificate and expresses our heartfelt gratitude nicely.
STATEMENT OF THE USCCB ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITTEE ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE ELECTION OF POPE FRANCIS (USCCB.org)
In his first year in office, Pope Francis has consistently called upon Catholics to look again at the fundamental values of the Gospel. He has encouraged us to be a Church of the poor and for the poor, reaching out to the marginalized and being present to those on the periphery of society. He has set an example bychoosing a personal simplicity of life, by washing the feet of prisoners, and by taking into his hands and kissing the badly disfigured. His Holiness has also set in motion a process that will lead to the reshaping of the Roman Curia in a way that will enhance the effectiveness of his ministry and better serve the needs of the Church in our present day.
In this way the Holy Father has brought to light new dimensions of the Petrine Ministry and added new life to the office he holds. His constant outreach to the alienated, his emphasis on mercy and his sheer humanity have served as an inspiration not only to Catholics but also to other Christians and people of good will around the globe. On this first anniversary of his election, the Administrative Committee invites the prayers of all the faithful that Christ our Lord will bless Pope Francis and grant him many years of fruitful ministry as Bishop of Rome, as the Servant of the Servants of God.
Deo Gratias!
Viva il Papa!
Biltrix 
Either this pope is wrong about ecclesiastical property or generations of bishops have erred in holding title to a vast store of real and personal property. His legacy will depend in part on the extent to which prelates follow his advice by reappropriating assets and reprioritizing goals, both temporal and spiritual, and on the extent to which prelates’ minions cease to supply enabling rationalizations. God bless!
I agree. As with all pontifical teaching or advices, the words need to be thought through, believed, taken to heart, and put into action. If the Pope is guided by the Holy Spirit, which we believe he is, that same Spirit can move the hearts and minds to which he speaks. There are plenty of examples where that does not happen, of course, but in this case, he is addressing the Church, more particularly, the pastors of the flock. I think he will incite a deep conscience exam and we will see some results. But we’ll aways have our sinful nature to deal with while we’re on this earth. Passions of greed and luxury are something we will continue to struggle with.
And that is one big reason why it is important for the Pope to preach about it, and why we all need to listen. Thanks for your comment.
Papa Francis has indeed done these admirable things – like the Good Shepherd he is called to be.
But that is not to say that his two fine and holy predecessors in any way DID NOT also remember the poor and alienated. In different ways they too brought many back to the fold.
Who is poorer than the one who is deprived of being able to know and then follow Christ Jesus Our Lord? In the case of Bl. Pope JPII, and thanks to his witness, the whole of the Eastern block that had lived under the terror and ignorance of atheistic Communism for decades, suddenly had the doors of their Christian heritage flung open to them again!
I agree! Both of these former popes preached and wrote on these things. Maybe the reason people are associating this more with Pope Francis, is that he has come out strong with it from the beginning of his pontificate. Or maybe it is because he just has a way of getting people to listen more. Maybe social media has made a bigger difference, since things like the internet were not around at all for the majority of Bl. JPII’s pontificate. Whatever it is, there is a continued legacy among these popes, and I think we are only starting to feel the effect of it’s momentum. In a way, Francis is standing on the other’s shoulders or riding on their capes, as regards New Evangelization and implementing Vatican II. In other ways, he is very avant-garde. There’s more yet to be seen, still. I think after just one year, we’re only seeing the tip of the iceberg.