Pope Francis Speaks

Now that the College of Cardinals has elected a new leader, Pope Francis, whose parents were both Italian, we have the first Pope from outside of Europe in many centuries. Among Americans, including my many Catholic relatives, questions have been raised about the Pope's name. We should insist on one thing: he was not named for a talking horse. The talking horse was Mr. Ed. He was only on TV. There is no Pope Ed. Francis was a talking mule, voiced by Chill Wills, in a series of movies in the 1950s.