In the name of...

Today marks one week and one day since the morning, when a strange silence woke me up. "What is this," I asked myself, "How can it be, that my street is empty at a time when usually it is teeming with people? What are all these low-flying helicopters doing above my head?" It seems as though we were just before the bombing." Then I think more and I remember...the Pope has arrived to the city.
Pope brings hope, they say. Great. I really didn't want to discuss about money, why the quality of positive human feelings (which elicit from admiration of the Pope and his presence among people) are unapproachably more valuable than material sacrifices required by his four-day visit. But come on, all has its limits! Portugal is in severe economic crisis (soon after Greece), threatened by financial meltdown. However, a clever government declared a national holiday everywhere, where the Holy Father pleased to step and give away his hope and compassion. If I'm not mistaken, in practice this meant at least two new festive days. You can imagine what does one day of inertion mean for the state economy, especially if it is in such dire straits ... No, no, this is something one sober individual can't understand.
I respect all catholic believers and I know that in their system of belief Pope represents someone who is closest to one, whom they aim to - to God (although, if I may, in this striving they all too often forget that the latter doesn't sit on the clouds, but they themselves are part of Him and therefore very much responsible for their actions), yet ...
The reality of today doens't speak in favor of Portugal. Let's say that the pope brought endless hope and love, that he brought together all the believers (ie the vast majority of the Portuguese) for four days - marked by the highest human values. Wonderful job! But what about the day after his departure? I haven't noticed any particular optimism, great hope, any refined human virtues, and even less a recrutial of the (poor) state economy. No, the streets were with same melody again and they hosted the same people and the same concerns (only one day older).
Why? Because; True human virtues can not be learned in such partial way (when the Pope comes, in the time of Christmas and at Easter...), conquest of them requires continous self-preoccupancy and finding your own truth (based on your own experiences and feelings). Then the hope (as well trust) comes by itself, it grows out from the vision that we can have control over our lives and creating, that the quality of our life depends mainly on ourselves and on what we think, what we do and how much are we in tune with our wishes and that, to which we devote our time, effort, our love and our life.