The Pope has passed away. Soon the cardinals will convene and decide upon a successor. It's a large political decision to be made. Have no illusion to the contrary, this is a political decision. I do not mean that in any negative way, just as a statement of the truth of the matter. The power of the Pope is no joke, as there are an estimated 1.4 billion people identifying themselves as Catholics. The wealth of the Catholic church isn't really known, but it is estimated to be in the tens of billions. The Pope is a global force, even has his own city-state, the Vatican.
I really have no idea how those cardinals go about deciding on that appointment. The Pope can be chosen from any baptized catholic male. Historically however they have been chosen from the college of cardinals. The pope chooses who will be a cardinal. So now you can see where the political aspect in all of this may originate. Imagine if a president got to choose those that get to vote and that remained in effect after his death. That's pretty much how this election of the new pope happens. The official narrative is that God will guide the cardinals in their votes. Surely these men of God will choose the correct man for the job of leading the church into the future. The reality being, they have to choose who is going to be best for business.
There have been some that are known for being "reformer" popes. Pope Francis was one of them. He is touted for his work recognizing past scandals, embracing marginalized groups, and inclusivity. Does that sound like the current political climate? It wasn't by accident, it was by vote. The first Pope from the Americas and a Jesuits. I have read a bit about that but won't pretend to understand the difference between a Jesuit and a Catholic. I read where all Jesuits are Catholic but not all Catholics are Jesuits. I wonder if that makes any difference in the big picture. The reformer Popes upset the proverbial applecart. They are often thought of as bringing the church in line with modern times, even when the modern times where in 1500's. It was always what was best for business in my opinion.
The selection of a new Pope happens more frequently than most of us realize. Since 1900 the average length of time for the Pope has been twelve years. That isn't even one generation. Perhaps not being a Catholic I'm not paying attention that closely but I thought that time would have been longer. Yesterday I was writing about rules and rituals. The pope establishes both for the catholic church. The rules may change rather quickly but the rituals take a bit longer. The protestant reformation took place in the mid 1500's as the rules change, rituals were questioned, the authority of the pope was also questioned. That lead to the formation of the protestants, those separating themselves from the Roman Catholic Church. The core belief remains, only rules and rituals changed. Was Pope Francis elected to be Pope to institute the changes he did? Will his successor be elected to continue down that path, the path of the reformer, or will he be elected to stop, or even reverse the direction the church is taking?
For me it is all just a matter of political intrigue and history. The pope condemned the Templar Knights at the behest of the king of France. The reason was money. Those Templars had amassed tremendous wealth and power and were backed by papal authority. France owed the Templars a lot of money and no way to pay it back. A deal was struck. France had its' debt erased, the church gained a good deal of wealth. The catholic church's' influence in the election of president Kennedy is still debated. Kennedy himself declared I am not the Catholic candidate for president, I am the democratic parties candidate for president. It was a bias that had to be overcome. How many voted for Kennedy because he was a catholic? The same question as how many voted for Obama because he was black? How many voted for Harris because she was a woman? How many elected officials are in office, voted in because of their religion or culture?
How will the college of cardinals decide upon the next Pope? Will he be chosen for his divinity, his piety and faith? Or will he be chosen to satisfy an agenda. His job is to lead the catholic church. It will be a man as the rules don't allow women to be cardinals, yet. That rule would need to be changed. Whoever is elected next could accomplish that. I've read where that has been discussed, seriously contemplated. The real question in all of that is, are Roman Catholics ready for that? You have to be very careful not to alienate your congregation, that's very bad for business. That's what started that reformation back in the 1500's. I doubt any of that will affect me in any meaningful way. For me, the Pope is just the CEO of the Catholic church. He's a man like all others. And that doesn't change what I believe in any manner whatsoever. I'll just wait for the "smoke" signal. Black means no decision, white means he have a new Pope.
Chimney of the Sistine chapel.
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