With all the billions of dollars the Catholic church has, you would think he could have brought back a few thousand instead of a token.
I don't agree, it a King Solomon story like the butterfly who stamped: "Suleiman-bin-Daoud was not proud. He very seldom showed off, and when he did he was sorry for it. Once he tried to feed all the animals in all the world in one day, but when the food was ready an Animal came out of the deep sea and ate it up in three mouthfuls. Suleiman-bin-Daoud was very surprised and said, 'O Animal, who are you?' And the Animal said, 'O King, live for ever! I am the smallest of thirty thousand brothers, and our home is at the bottom of the sea. We heard that you were going to feed all the animals in all the world, and my brothers sent me to ask when dinner would be ready.' Suleiman-bin-Daoud was more surprised than ever and said, 'O Animal, you have eaten all the dinner that I made ready for all the animals in the world.' And the Animal said, 'O King, live for ever, but do you really call that a dinner? Where I come from we each eat twice as much as that between meals.' Then Suleiman-bin-Daoud fell flat on his face and said, 'O Animal! I gave that dinner to show what a great and rich king I was, and not because I really wanted to be kind to the animals. Now I am ashamed, and it serves me right."
I respect Francis, not because he took a few refugees back with him, but because he knew that it was a gesture, he knew that by itself he would fail, he knew that he would have to be ashamed, he knew that it would serve him right, but ... he knew that it had to be done for example and he did it, despite all he knew.
All very Kiplingesque ... if you can keep your head when all others about you are losing theirs ... and such.