Ever since Pope Benedict XVI announced his decision to retire and the need to select the next Bishop of Rome, I have followed with excitement and intrigue this story with its unfolding events, culminating in the election of Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio as Pope Francis I and what his election might mean for the Catholic Church and the world.
I watched closely what the media was saying about who the next Pope might be, with the help and expertise of many Catholic commentators, clergy and scholars. The world watched as the 115 Cardinals enter the Sistine Chapel at The Vatican to begin the process of selecting the next Pope. Who would it be? Could it be a Cardinal from the United States? Dolan of New York? Mahonney from Boston? Someone from outside Europe? Canada perhaps, or Latin America?
I was asked by a friend why I have such an interest in the selection of a new Pope given the fact that I have been a protestant all my life. The reasons are many.
First, as so many inside as well as outside the Catholic Church have been saying, I believe the church has been in great need of reform. Celibacy, the role of woman, the scandal of sexual abuse among the priesthood, to name a few, are major areas of concern. Pope Benedict XVI, to his credit, felt he did not have the energy at his age to confront and manage the many issues facing the church and so he humbly announced his resignation, leaving the next Pope to address these, and many other concerns, with the hope that at least some of these issues could be attended if not resolved.
Second, I recognize that this new Pope would potentially have influence and impact over 1.2 billion human beings for either good or evil; change or status qua; inspiration or boredom. 1.2 billion people! This potential impact is beyond calculation! It boggles my mind that so many of my evangelical and other friends are either completely uninterested in this major human, Christian event, or spending much of their time (predictably) criticizing the office of Pope and the teachings of the Catholic Church! I personally find this to be short-sighted and tribal.
Third, the election of Pope Francis was for me, nothing sort of inspired. He is a man who understands the gospel from the point of view of loving action rather than argumentation, theological ideas and doctrine alone. He has shown himself from what I have read and heard about him, to be a man of the people who is authentically concerned about the poor, stands for social justice, lives a life of simplicity and grace, uses public transportation, lived in a small apartment, cooked many of his own meals, etc. One can see why he chose the name Francis, the great reformer of the thirteenth century who was called by God to "rebuild my church." I know for many these qualities fly in the face of American Christianity, capitalism, win/lose, pull yourself up by your own bootstraps and the trickle-down economics mentality. I find these living qualities demonstrated by this new Pope to be profoundly refreshing and frankly Christlike. Indeed, these are characteristics that religious, political, corporate, and humankind in general can use a lot more of (including me).
Fourth and finally, although I have identified myself throughout life as a "protestant" and "evangelical," and I am very committed to my Christian faith and tradition, I am a lot older now and I'd like to think a little bit wiser and have come to see that I am not only a Protestant Evangelical, but I am also a Catholic, a Jew, a Muslim, a Hindu, a Buddhist, etc. Now I know many of my friends will think that I am a heretic and have lost my way and I am hell-bound for saying such things, but I have to walk the road I believe God is leading me. I have come to realize that we can either respect and build on the many areas of faith upon which we agree, like love, peace, the golden rule, compassion, mercy, the fruit of the Spirit, all of which are found in the great world religions, or we can continue down the insane road of religious tribalism, picking one another apart and contributing to the destruction of spiritual meaning and purpose within human kind. I choose the former, and so I have great interest in this historic religious, human event.
So, I am praying for my brother Pope Francis I, hoping that his leadership has a profoundly positive and spiritual impact, not only among his fellow Roman Catholics, but upon all of us, recognizing we are all the children of God, brothers and sisters on this journey called life.
Peace for real,
Dennis
