The Death of a Pope and the Return to Ecclesiastic Devotion

This morning, after a long battle with pneumonia and his obviously declining frail health, Pope Francis passed, leaving the Church without a leader after his twelve-year papacy. It was one which was frought with controversy and undercurrent of strife and quiet rebellion.

 

While the Church seemed to grow in the Third World due to the Pope's liberal and socialist positions, the Church lost congregants in the West, and especially in the United States, as he continually criticized the US immigration policies.

On March 13, 2013, I wrote a commentary called Art, Life and the Papacy, and published it just hours before Francis’ election, following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. The Conclave had gone on for several days and I hoped the Cardinals would elect a healer to fix the fractured condition Benedict had left behind.

My optimism was short-lived, as Francis began to liberalize the Church. He proved to be a social justice warrior, on gay issues, which was fine, but slammed the hammer on issues like allowing women to be priests, divorced Catholics to receive communion, allowing priests to marry, and other issues which the laity demanded of a modern Church.

And then he criticized the US for its policies and demanded that the West spend its resources by giving it to the Third World, while not taking the gold, art and jewels possessed by the Vatican/Church and selling it all to set the same example.

Of course, I could go on but it doesn’t matter now. The Church will, in nine days, bury this Pope, and his reign will be officially ended as the Camerlengo (Chamberlain) smashes his ring to prevent forgery of documents with his seal. Then, in twenty days, a new Conclave will assemble and begin the ritual of choosing the next Pope.

The media has identified six potential candidates, unofficially known as the preferitti, who are among the favorites to be considered. But as with anything else, a dark horse, or unknown like Pope John Paul I, could be selected. Too bad his papacy lasted not even forty days in 1978.

The Cardinals have an opportunity at this point in time to elect someone who will be less political and less divisive. The next Pope needs to move the Church more to its central mission, which is to spread the Gospel of Jesus and to remember it is in the business of saving souls. Not spreading more division among the faithful.

If there were ever a need for the Church to be healed, this is the time for the Cardinals to choose such a man.

In my commentary, referenced above, I discussed that Taylor Caldwell wrote a novel in the early 70's called Great and Glorious Physician, a novel about a biblical healer, the evangelist St Luke, and that Dan Brown wrote a novel years ago called Angels and Demons, where the Pope elected took the name, Luke, in honor of the saint.

If the Church is really looking to be healed from its fractured past two decades in the making of the loss of the laity since the death of of St Pope John Paul II, and the clergy abuse of children for which it is guilty, based on the payouts of legal judgements to victims of that abuse, it is time to elect someone who can lead the Church back to its former universal respect. By all nations and faiths.

While I admit I am a fallen-away Catholic, who has found peace and solace in an Evangelical church which has shown what is truly expected of one who believes in Christ’s teachings, I have prayed for the Roman Catholic Church to find its way back from its prodigal wayward bent.

In twenty days, give or take, the Conclave will meet during the second week of May, which is the month devoted to the Blessed Mother, the one person venerated by all three Abrahamic religions as Maryam, Miriam and Mary. Jesus’ Mother. It is appropriate that She should intercede to guide the Cardinals to choose the next Successor to St Peter to lead and heal the Church.

It is time.