By now everyone has heard that Pope Francis has died, the funeral is over, and the world’s Cardinals are meeting in secret to elect a new successor to Peter, the first Pope. It never ceases to amaze me that for 2,000 years we have had and Apostolic Church, meaning that our current Church is descended from the Apostles and that we have the deposit of faith which the Church is charged with remaining loyal. That being said, the Roman Catholic Church is not the only church claiming the Christian History. Almost all of the non-Catholic churches also claim the Bible, the teachings of the early Christians, and the long list of saints as their very own. In that sense, it seems to me that Catholic and non-Catholic Churches have a whole lot more in common than not. Yet we seem to focus on how we are different and not the same. Most non-Catholic Churches have sacraments, reference the Bible, and share common values, and virtues as do Roman Catholics. One major difference is that of how we view the Pope as the head of the Christian Church. Many non-Catholic Churches do not hold with the Pope as the head of the whole of Christianity.
That being said, I don’t think many Christians of any denomination, Catholic or non-Catholic do not respect and consider the Pope’s words and actions as frivolous or not important. I think that most Jewish people, people of the Islamic faith and all other non-Christian faiths consider his actions and words as of utmost importance. I think that most atheist, political figures, and national world leaders have always got and ear and an eye on all that the Pope says or does. News organizations are always keeping up with the Pope, for good or bad.
The Pope is probably the one person most known in the world. His ideas and actions are most known and discussed by more people than any other. Whether you like or dislike him, agree with him or disagree, he is important, always there, and everyone seems willing to talk about him.
A new Pope is about to be selected by the College of Cardinals and while there have been some list of possible Cardinals becoming the Pope, at this time of writing we just don’t know who that person will be. However, I know that the Holy Spirit is full of surprises, and we can expect that the new Pope will full of surprises, too. While we mourn the passing of Pope Francis, it seems good that we wait and pray, “in joyful anticipation” for the next leader of the Catholic Church. As lay people, and ordinary people all over the world, we can pray, “Our Father, Who art in heaven…”
“May the Lord bless and keep you. May he let his face shine upon you, be gracious to you and give you his peace.”
