article_snippet.sent: (CNN)It's not easy being the Pope.
article_snippet.sent: Not only does he shepherd nearly 1 billion Catholic souls, he also leads a small but morally significant state with envoys and interests in nearly every country.
article_snippet.sent: Sometimes, as when St. John Paul II stood up to Communist Poland, the church's moral and political clout have combined to pack a powerful punch.
article_snippet.sent: At other times, Previous popes have to make a hard choice: Adopt the sharp tongue of a prophet or the discretion of a diplomat?
article_snippet.sent: This Sunday in Rome, Francis faced just such a dilemma.
article_snippet.sent: Many of the victims were part of a branch of Christianity closely aligned with Catholicism.
article_snippet.sent: As Pope Francis prepared to celebrate a special Mass Sunday to commemorate a century since the slaughter,  
article_snippet.sent: In the past century, our human family has lived through three massive and unprecedented tragedies," Pope Francis said.
article_snippet.sent: Whether holding the line against artificial birth control, declining to ordain female priests or dealing with diplomatic tensions, it sometimes seems as if the church considers inconsistency the most unforgivable of sins.
article_snippet.sent: "Religious authorities are not places through which hatred and animosity are fueled by unfounded allegations," a tweet reads.
article_snippet.sent: "Hatred" and "animosity" are not words often used to describe Pope Francis.
article_snippet.sent: Because Pope Francis often shines a sympathetic face on the world, emphasizing mercy over judgment, it's easy to miss the bluntness Pope Francis brings to the bully pulpit.
article_snippet.sent: On matters of doctrine and diplomacy, Pope Francis may be carrying on Catholic traditions, but in Pope Francis willingness to engage in geopolitics and the tone that engagement often takes, the Pope is decidedly different.
article_snippet.sent: Pope Francis has helped broker a backroom detente between the United States and Cuba, and invited Israeli and Palestinian leaders for an unprecedented prayer service at the Vatican (after annoying some Israelis with an impromptu prayer at the wall that separates the West Bank from Jerusalem.)
article_snippet.sent: But Pope Francis has also suggested that force may be justified to stop ISIS' slaughter of Christians, warned of the "Mexicanization" of Argentina and said that satirists who insult religion should expect a retaliatory punch.
article_snippet.sent: On Monday, the Pope addressed a roomful of priests at
article_snippet.sent: morning Mass. the Pope must have heard the hubbub about the Pope "genocide" remark, but the Pope encouraged the Pope charges to speak frankly, without fear, and to bear the courage of their convictions, just as the early apostles had.
article_snippet.sent: We cannot keep silent about what We have seen and heard," Pope Francis said.
highlights_snippet.sent: Because he often shines such a smiley face on the world, it can be easy to forget the bluntness Francis sometimes brings to the bully pulpit .