It’s hard to believe the Pope’s resigned. But why? You always blame the butler.
Who would have ever believed the clergy sex abuse would be so commonplace or the mysterious death of Pope John, the pope before John Paul II. Who knows if the butler was set up to release corruption in the church because the popes couldn’t. As a result the church authorities have lost the implicit trust they once took for granted.
The Christian church is made up of humans and subject to the subtle attacks of the devil and he has made his mark. It’s up to the free will of the person to discern the will of the holy spirit. Jesus said to proclaim the gospel to all nations. That is love, not a disciplined fear as was in some Catholic institutions and homilies. Mother Mary brought Jesus into the world (the body and blood and also the blessed sacrament). There is no reason why priests can’t be married or be women and hold part-time or full-time jobs if the situation arises. Spreading the gospel is what is important. It even may be time for a lady pope.
The holy spirit is obviously moving for a change in a fast-changing world. How can a unemployed young couple raise 15 kids in a one-bedroom condominium which results when there is no contraception? It defies the common law. It’s OK for the male clergy to debate the rules as they don’t experience the maternity ward. How do you define the death of a marriage when the love between the two partners has died and they wish to remarry? Certainly a group of bachelor clergy are not experienced to make the decision. Should one be allowed to terminate ones earthly existence if age brings on an unbearable illness or Alzheimer’s that creates a heavy burden on the family?
These and other moral questions will weigh heavily on the new pope. Hopefully a lot of the glitzy trappings will slip away, as often what is seen at St. Peter’s Rome is an entertaining pageant dating back to the Middle Ages. The Pope’s understandable wise resignation adds to the church’s entry into the new springtime of evangelization in the modern world.
Some will say the Christian church will become more divided, but maybe the real term should be “diversified”.
Joe Schwarz
Penticton