Merepeka Raukawa-Tait: Top tips to save you (from) trouble

Photo / Thinkstock

Pope Francis has done it for us. Set out 10 New Year resolutions.

They're actually six months old, as he posted them in July last year. But his top 10 tips on how to have a better and more joyful life would save you the trouble of thinking up your own resolutions if that's what you're into.

They make perfect sense and I think would have wide appeal with the majority of Catholics, and possibly many more millions from other faiths throughout the world. People still make New Year resolutions, although I suspect most don't last long and get broken pretty quickly. But Pope Francis' are a welcome reminder to "keep things simple".

His top 10 tips are:

1. Live and let live.

2. Be giving of yourself to others.

3. Proceed calmly in life.

4. Have a healthy sense of leisure.

5. Sundays should be holidays.

6. Find innovative ways to find dignified jobs for young people.

7. Respect and take care of nature.

8. Stop being negative.

9. Respect others' beliefs.

10. Work for peace.

They're refreshingly straightforward and even picking just four or five would be a good start. Perhaps that'll be the problem. We seem to want to complicate everything these days. But not this Pope. I believe he attempts to demonstrate in his daily life what he preaches.

When I read he wasn't going to reside in the papal quarters inside the Vatican when he was coronated two years ago I knew he was from a different mould to previous popes.

Not for him the luxury accommodation and trappings of power and comfort. Here is a Pope of the people. Someone who wants to be seen as living an unpretentious lifestyle, nearer to that of the church's followers, if that's possible as Pope.

By using a smaller, less conspicuous car for transport it has also endeared him to Catholics worldwide.

For centuries the Catholic Church, headed by the Vatican, has been ostentatious and showy. So many churches and cathedrals are showcases of opulence and excesses. They're not the only ones either.

Many faiths appear to believe that praying to God should be undertaken in an opulent building. I have always wondered if God might not appreciate a more humble address with prayers being more genuine. More in keeping with how Jesus Christ lived his life. I think this is what Pope Francis is trying to encourage Catholics, particularly Vatican staff, to do.

He went as far as firing a German Bishop who lived such an affluent lifestyle that even members of his own congregation considered him "way over the top".

It was Abraham Lincoln who said "If you want to test a man's character, give him power".

Pope Francis is attempting to use his wisely. He is demonstrating that leadership is not just a role to be exercised but it is also about how you choose to live your life.

As Pope, he doesn't want to continue the papal legacy of entitlement, scepticism and confusion among his followers or those affected by his leadership.

When the Pope tells his followers to "do what I do" he is accepting and showing them responsibility and accountability.

But apparently Pope Francis' efforts are not universally approved of by the "home office" in the Vatican. Just like Buckingham Palace, the Vatican has its own rules. Developed over centuries.

Bucking these - well you make enemies. And any newcomer, even if he is the Pope, seeking to change some of these will run into opposition.

Positions of power and control are getting challenged and that's not to be tolerated. When the Pope accused senior Vatican bosses as "having hardened hearts. Funeral faces and being too rigid, tough and arrogant" he was bound to get a reaction. And he has.

But I don't believe Catholics are fools. They know a good Pope when they see one. One who shows humility and understanding of how the majority of ordinary Catholics live. One who called for an end to wars in his New Year's mass. His top 10 tips for bringing greater joy into our lives would go a long way in achieving world peace if millions of people around the world adopted them.

• Merepeka lives in Rotorua. She writes, speaks and broadcasts to thwart the spread of political correctness.