the obiligitory pope post

The pope. He’s dead. And by the time new one is finally elected, our ADD world will be all poped out.
The cardinals aren’t allowed to meet for at least two weeks, due to papal law. An eternity in the news cycle. I’ve learned more about John Paul II in the last 4 hours that I had in my entire life, and I went to catholic school for 9 years.
Pope John Paul II was an important man. Let’s just leave it at that. His part in the fall of Communism, apologizing for the church’s past sins and reaching out to all countries to end hostilities, these are things that important men do. But, as the head of the church, the Pope guided their policies, which included attacks on gay marriage, abortion and women.
The process that’s about to begin will show the Catholic Church for the lumbering dinosaur it is. Don’t get me wrong, Roman Catholics are among the best for traditional pomp and circumstances. But Latin, come on, is there anyone besides paleontologists that still use Latin?
It should be fun though, 3 weeks (minimum) of pope coverage. Whoever becomes the next pope will have some huge shoes to fill, not just as head of the Catholic Church, but as an important man. How the church handles the election will determine what kind of player in the world they want to be
A return to past glory is unlikely, as few institutions will ever be as powerful (or corrupt) as the Catholic Church was in medieval times. Sounds like someone we know. But the election of an aging, European pope will signal a return to tradition drowning in centuries old dogma. Also, an older pope would mean a greater risk of having to do all this again in a decade or so. And nothing lessens a 21st century persons attention like repetition in a global event. Quick, when’s the next Olympics? and where?
Pope John Paul’s reign of 27 years is a long time for a pope, third longest, in 2000 years. We’ve been come accustom to a sitting Pontiff, waving his hand, and not much else. Early film showed a spry pope (well spry for almost 60), and that’s what the world needs, an even younger pope, preferably one that speaks English.
What the Catholic Church needs to do is to move forward. A new pope will have an unique opportunity to grab the worlds attention for a while, and he needs to bring serious world issues to everyone’s attention, especially those of us who call themselves Christians.
The election of a younger pope, from somewhere other than Europe, will move the church forward. What’s that you say? Not gonna happen. Why not? The nation with the most Catholics in the world is Brazil. The church’s fastest growing regions are South & Central America and Africa. Places a new pope could do the most global good. Any coincidence that a Polish pope would return home to spark the Solidarity movement that would eventually end in the fall of Communism?
Think what an African or Latin American pope would be able to accomplish by sparking real debate on the African AIDS epidemic or the plight of the poor and hungry across the globe. That is one of the strengths of the papacy. Their ability to be an outside observer and point out what is ‘bad’ and ‘wrong’ the world. Granted the church’s definition what is ‘wrong’ has changed over the centuries. Just think of how many US Senators would have purchased indulgences for themselves –and business partners- had this practice still existed. But they have come a long way from the banning of scientific fact and paying for forgiveness.
So now, I’ll sit back and watch what happens. This will be the first Conclace I remember, so it should be interesting. With two millennium of history to pull from our airwaves will be covered with papal biographies and documentaries on Christianity. Few institutions have a history like the Catholic church, drenched in power and secrecy, ever see Hudson Hawk?

Or (alternate ending)


So now, I’ll sit back and watch what happens. This will be the first Conclace I remember, so it should be interesting. With two millennium of history to pull from our airwaves will be covered with papal biographies and documentaries on Christianity, from the celebratory (resurrections, miracles, saints, puppies) to the regrettable (inquisitions, crusades, corruption), all in all I am looking forward to the next month.
By the way, the Twentieth Olympic Winter Games takes place in Turino in 2006.