On March 27th, before all the chaos developed with Ebola in this country and the rise of ISIS, in his first official visit President Obama met with Pope Francis at the Vatican. As it is customary politically and in tradition to bring the Pope gifts, the President gave the Pope a seed box and mentioned he would like him to come and visit his garden at the White House. In exchange the Pope gave President Obama a large bronze medallion of an angel representing solidarity and peace surrounded by the image of a dragon. The Vatican commented “The angel is embracing and bringing together the northern and southern hemispheres of the earth, while overcoming the opposition of a dragonâ€.  On many levels this exchange of gifts was very symbolic and can be interpreted to the gild.Â
However, Pope Francis specified that the gift was actually a personal gesture from him, “from Jorge Bergoglio”, (Pope Francis’s birth name), which I thought to be incredibly powerful and kind of shifted the whole meaning behind it for me. His gift came from the man he was born into, stripped of politics and protocol. It was simply a message shared from one to another in hopes that the powers that be (I mean REAL POWERS THAT BE) …. will hear his plea and guide us all to a better place. Amen to that! Have a peaceful weekend. – Michele
Art done with cut paper and watercolor
