It’s close to 20 pages and in size 12 font when printed off the Internet, which I did. “A profile of Pope Francis,” by James Carroll. In the article we learn of the difference between radical and liberal, the meaning of “conclave” and of the kind of shoes that the Pope wears. Among other things.

I was pulled in to read this powerful piece because of a description just three paragraphs down, of the Bishop of Rome holding a man and a woman who are sobbing, enveloped in his arms. This is a man with tremendous empathy, I could tell.

Carroll reminds us of an interview with the Pope last August when he elaborated on his views about homosexuals. In contrast to his predecessor Pope Benedict, who defended the “dignity” of all people but called homosexual acts “an intrinsic moral evil”: Pope Francis exudes a different tone.

“We must always consider the person,” he says. He sees the Church “as a field hospital after the war,” with the “ability to heal wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful.”

Here is a world leader arguing for bi-partisanship, working together, community problem-solving. A leader it seems with less to prove and the ability to harmonize. What a great role model for us all.

“Who am I to judge?” It’s a question that stops us in our tracks; it suggests humility, questioning and the desire to avoid quick results and extreme actions. This is an article worth reading—all of it. And even in the act of being determined to read it we are forced to slow down and think.

*An essay by James Carroll in the December 23, 2014, New Yorker magazine

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Pocket Change is a web diary written by Jane Moulding, head of school.