You see Durterte spoke out last week on traffic in Manila which is just atrocious. He named the example of how bad traffic was when the Pope was in town. In speaking on this example, he used expletive language and in response his audience laughed. This has caused an uproar in the Philippines where bishops have spoken out decrying the man for speaking in such terms when referring to the Pope. I do not want to enter into the fray on this. All I want to do is highlight the Pope's response which was to say that he appreciated a politician being honest and not just bowing to him so as to get more votes. Just mind blowing!
This week we see the annual King's birthday celebrations in Thailand. It is something to experience the people's public show of their love and devotion for their king. Their beloved king of over 100 years ago - King Chulalongkorn - is also deeply revered here and rightly so for he was a great man as I read history. One thing he did was to meet the then Pope Leo XIII in Rome. Getting there must have been an achievement in itself. Both men in their day were caught up in a world of change and both were concerned for the good of the people under their care within such a world, working to create needed change in such a possibly hostile world.
They are reminders how our world always needs good and wise leaders.
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