The Next Papacy

And now we begin once more. I could only steal peaks through out the day as the story of the elevation of Pope Benedict XVI unfolded yesterday. It took less than an hour from the time that the bells began to toll in Rome until I ran upon my first Pope joke over at the Fraters site. I am sure there will be many more to come.

On my AP feed the headlines were predictable. They moved from the jubilant proclamation of a new Pope being elected, to one proclaiming the new Pope as controversial, to the not so jubilant declaration that an arch-conservative Pope had been elected. This was followed by the usual stories of dismayed special interests.

Back in my college days when Pope John Paul II was elected I did not know anything about the man or the type of leader he would become. Back in those days I would have liked to have seen the church change more than it did. Conform to my vision of a perfect church. As I matured, married and raised my family, I grew out of that stage.

One of the true strengths of the Roman Catholic Church is that we all know who leads it in our Pope. It is not the duty of the Pope to conform the church to what individuals want to follow. Instead it is our duty to follow God's will and the teachings of Christ. I listen to the different factions debate. Latin or no Latin. Birth control or no birth control. Celibacy or married priests. I do not know what these issues have to do with the practice of our faith.

Over the next couple of years our new Pope will develop his Papacy and become our guide, for this is his most important role. I hope that each of us will find the courage to follow.