They say it takes one to know one. That's certainly true of Stephen Young, who wrote with such insight about meeting Pope Francis (Opinion Exchange, May 15). I particularly liked his line about Francis displaying the truth that "all are the children of God … and equally, with him, to receive the love and grace of Jesus." Would that more of us Catholics and Christians in general believed that.

Jo Youngren, St. Anthony

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Young gushes over Francis, saying he's a "new kind of pope." He's got that right. In Francis, Catholics have the first pope to openly endorse homosexuality and the first communist-inspired pope. I'm not Catholic and have always considered the Vatican and the popes who occupied it as expensive jokes. But this guy really takes the cake.

Tom R. Kovach, Nevis, Minn.

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Young talked about the pope's eyes and his smile and his shoes. He talked about how he refuses to allow followers to bow before him. I wonder how the victims of Catholic Church sexual abuse feel about this article? I wonder about how impressed they are by the choice of this pope to wear black shoes? Does it make a difference to them what kind of chair he sits on? The fact is that this pope, like all of the past popes, sits at the head of the largest organization in the world that has systematically hidden and protected pedophiles. And, this pope, with his kind eyes, sat as a cardinal while the sexual abusers were shuffled from church to church, free to rape again and again. And so, Stephen Young, on behalf of all of the victims, I would say this about your article: SERIOUSLY?

Karen Carlson, Minneapolis