Who will be the next pope and does it matter?

On Monday, March 4, 2013, a group of Roman Catholic Cardinals sent Joseph Ratzinger, the former pope, a telegram expressing gratitude for his service.  I read that headline and said, “Telegram?  Telegram!?  People still send telegrams???”  

In my 40+ years, I have never sent or received a telegram and would not know how to do so if my life depended upon it.  I Googled it and still don’t know how to send a telegram because even Western Union stopped transmitting telegrams. 

But, maybe when a guy announces his retirement in Latin, sending a farewell message using Morse code is just what you do.  Carrier pigeons aren’t much used anymore for communication, the Pony Express is defunct and was U.S.-only anyway, and they reserve the use of smoke signals for announcing a new pope.  Perhaps they figured this was their next best anti-modern alternative.

The pope’s resignation speech delivered in Latin screamed, “I’m out of touch!”  The Cardinals sending him a telegram shouts back, “Not to worry!  So are we!!!!”  Yet, meanwhile, back in the 21^st century, a February, 2013 survey indicates that the vast majority of U.S. Catholics believe the Church is – you guessed it – out of touch.   And these out of touch Cardinals will soon elect from among their out of touch brotherhood, the next pope.  What are the chances that the next pope will be in touch with the faithful or the modern world in which they reside?

So, while many people question who will be the next pope, I wonder, “Does it matter?”

The same survey indicated that most U.S. Catholics hope the church will do an “about face” on most of the hierarchy’s favorite topics: birth control, married clergy, female clergy, and the treatment of homosexuals.  It also indicated that about 80% of Catholics will follow their conscience rather than what the pope says.  So, again with regards to who is elected pope I ask, “Does it matter?” 

Yeah, that person will get to wear some kickin’ red designer shoes and have quite a collection of fancy hats and robes.  Yeah that person can publish edicts, encyclicals and bulls and even give weekly addresses to thousands of people in a rock-star celebrity atmosphere, but who’s actually listening and more importantly, who’s following? 

Much like England still has ceremonial royalty that captivates the hearts of many a Brit while confusing the rest of the world, is the papacy just another mostly impotent nostalgic ornament?  Yes, yes, the pope will be one of only six absolute monarchs in the world along with the rulers of the esteemed countries of Brunei, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Swaziland.  But let’s put this in perspective.  As of March 2011, the Vatican had 572 citizens, 220 of whom actually lived in Vatican City while the other 352 were apostolic nuncios (ambassadors to other countries) and their staff.  A person can only become a Vatican citizen through appointment and the overwhelming majority of those appointees are single male clergy.  Despite the hierarchy’s unyielding stance on birth control, a population explosion in the Vatican is unlikely.  How much of a world power can and should a state of 500 or so be?

The media report that the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics are “without a leader.”  Let’s see, 80% of Catholics say they follow their conscience rather than what the pope says. Furthermore, 97% of Catholic women use birth control despite the pope’s edicts.  A majority of Catholics support female and married clergy as well as equal treatment of homosexuals in secular society.  Doesn’t a leader by definition need followers?  Doesn’t the prima facie evidence indicate that most Catholics don’t follow the pope?  So by definition, was he actually ever leader of the 1.2 billion Catholics?

By the way, since a valid bishop in the Apostolic Succession ordained a group of Roman Catholic women priests in 2002, the number of ordained Catholic women has grown each year over the last 10 years by 33%.  In contrast, the number of ordained males grew by a mere %0.06 after years of declining numbers.  Yes, do the math.  Ordained vocations of women are growing at a 550 times faster rate than those of men despite the pope excommunicating people, penalizing people, declaring female ordinations the worst of all sins and saying “it simply cannot happen.”  I ask again, who does the pope lead?

Any power the pope has outside of his little kingdom of less than 600 people is because people choose to give him that power. More and more, people choose not to grant the pope powers which resulted in his frustrated attempts to vociferously assert his power.  It calls to mind a situation I once had in high school where the principal called me into his office to rant at me that he was in charge.  I sat calmly with my head cocked to one side listening to him yell at me – red-faced, arms flapping, stomping around his office.  When he finished I said in an even matter-of-fact tone, “If you were in charge, you wouldn’t need to tell me that.  In fact, you’re not in charge and are worried that I am.” And, I left his office.  I think there’s a fair amount of that occurring in the church these days. 

There are people who have a nostalgic view of the position of pope though they don’t listen to its office holder.  There are also people who make a lot of money from idolizing the pope – the media, the hierarchy, religious goods vendors to name a few.  So, I don’t think the office of pope will disappear anytime soon.  But, I do think the power of the office is changing dramatically.  To what extent it changes depends more so upon the 1.2 billion Catholics and how much power they wish to grant the officeholder than upon what the next person with the custom-made red shoes decides to do in the office.

My mom used to tell me about one of her favorite Mahalia Jackson songs, “Let the Church Roll On.”  After she died a year ago I loaded her Mahalia Jackson CDs onto my iPod but never listened to them until recently when that song played in random shuffle mode.  I was struck by the song’s lyrics, “If a preacher in the church and he don’t preach right, say what should we do?  Well, we won’t do that, we’ll just pray for him and let the church roll on!”

The church is rolling on – with or without the hierarchy.  So while they respond to Latin spouted resignations by sending telegrams into a tweeting world, I on behalf of many in the church offer them as food for contemplation the sentiments in the lyrics to another song about rolling, “Roll with the Changes” by REO Speedwagon.  We are tired of the same old story (lies, manipulation, clergy abuse, lack of accountability, lack of compassion, corruption, ignoring the poor, disenfranchising women, bashing gays, ignorance about human sexuality and psychology, a sexually active clergy that presents a facade of continence, etc...) and would like you to turn some pages to roll with the changes, guys.  Our cup is on the table with our love spillin’ and we’re just waiting here for you to take and drink of it.  But, if you don’t, we’re gonna let the church roll on.  Are you going to join us trying to imitate Christ's care for the poor and marginalized or stay behind enshrouded in your delusions of power, superiority and grandeur, spouting Latin and sending telegrams?

As soon as you are able, woman, I am willin'
To make the break that we are on the brink of 

My cup is on the table - my love is spillin'
Waiting here for you to take and drink of
 
So, if you're tired of the same old story, oh, turn some pages
I will be here when you are ready to roll with the changes
 
I knew it had to happen - felt the tables turnin'
Got me through my darkest hour

I heard the thunder clappin' - felt the desert burnin'
Until you poured on me like a sweet sun shower
 
So, if you're tired of the same old story, oh, turn some pages
I will be here when you are ready to roll with the changes
(oh, yeah)
 
So, if you're tired of the same old story, oh, baby, turn some pages
I will be here when you are ready to roll with the changes, baby
Roll with the changes

Oh, you know, you know, you know you got to... Keep on rollin' (oh, yeah) Keep on rollin' Roll with the changes (keep on rollin') Keep on rollin' (oh, yeah) Keep on rollin' Oh, now roll with the changes (oh, baby) Keep on rollin' (oh, baby) Keep on rollin' Oh, you got to learn to roll with the changes (got to, got to, got to, gotto...) Keep on rollin' (got to keep on) Keep on rollin' Oh, you got to learn to, got to learn to, got to learn to roll Keep on rollin' Keep on rollin' (ooooooooooooo)...

"Roll With the Changes" by REO Speedwagon.