Pope Francis is an exceptionally great man; completely fearless to speak forth his convictions however radical they are.
His admission that Catholic missionary activity among Canada's native people during the colonial period was genocide has dealt a heavy blow to once thought of as glorious and exceptional marks of greatness for the Church - the Portuguese Padroado, sola ekklesia (by the Church alone salvation can be found), and scores of other exclusive Catholic self-assumptions.
In accepting cultural genocide Pope Francis has humbly accepted diversity and plurality as the norms of life and of being.
He has confessed to the Church's spiritual status as that of one among many, and has drawn focus on life and practice above dogma and exclusion.
Pope Francis and those advising him at this crucial juncture in the history of Christianity are great people.
For global peace, there is now the dire need for every religion and culture to emulate the path set in motion by Pope Francis.
Bigotry, radicalism, intolerance, theocracies, religious terrorism, religio-cultural supremacy etc must all be deemed evil and illegal in all corners of our world.
Humanity is one; our needs and our challenges are one; our spiritual quest is one; and the realization of our quest too is one though outer expressions of culture might be varied. We are all one and our journeys through this life have more-or-less the same characteristics.
Down through the centuries of Catholic history to come, Pope Francis will be viewed as the Pope who radically altered historic Roman Catholic self-assumptions in order to make life for all humans on the planet more equal, dignified, and secure. It is hence a great privilege for us to be living at the same time when the papacy belonged to Francis who radically set the Church on a more humane and compassionate path.