I hear so much about what we need in a Pope today. They say we need and ecumenical Pope, a Pastoral Pope, a media savvy Pope, a bridge builder who is committed to Vatican II. Well, I agree. Sorta.
I want an Ecumenical Pope and by ecumenical I mean the kind of ecumenism that begins and ends with the Truth (with a capital T). I want a Pope that will not water down the truth or seeks some safe common ground. I want a Pope that says that the Church has the pure and total deposit of faith. Get on board or get out of the way. You know, ol’ school ecumenism.
I want a Pastoral Pope, and by pastoral I mean a Pope who will protect the sheep from the wolves. I want a Pope that will clean house, not just at the curial level which all the talk these days, but at the diocesan level. A Pope that will once and for all purge the lavender mafia from the highest member of the curia to the smallest seminary. We need to clean house with the strongest bleach to keep generational plague from being handed down.
I want a Media Savvy Pope and by media savvy I mean a Pope that doesn’t give a crap about the media. If a Pope is doing his job, the media will hate him. I want a Pope that doesn’t give a thought to how the media treats him because he has zero desire for them to love him. The Pope needs to go above the heads of the media and to do this requires a functional and savvy media and press office. The should burn the current press office to the ground and start over.
I want a Pope that Builds Bridges and by building bridges I mean building them in places that he has already blown them up. You know when the most bridges get built? When armies have blown up the ones used by the enemy. You don’t build bridges to people who want to invade and destroy you. You destroy their bridges and build new ones that are well protected. Building bridges to the Orthodox, good. Building bridges to agnostipalians, not so much.
I want a Pope Committed to Vatican II and by Vatican II I mean the actual documents, not some ridiculous spirit. I want a Pope that will actually implement the liturgical vision expressed in the documents of Vatican II. I want a Pope that will reform the current liturgy to be in line with all that cam before it, while incorporating some of the reasonable changes the council called for. Fix it before it is too late.
In short, I want a Pope to be Pope. Is that too much to ask?
March 11, 2013 at 3:46 pm
I know predicting what will happen in a Papal conclave is futile, so I won't ask for predictions. However, I did see that Robert Royal at The Catholic Thing is saying these three are the leading contenders:
Scola
Ouellet
Scherer
Which of these would be most like Pope Benedict XVI? Personally, I'd like Burke, but want to know more about the others…
March 11, 2013 at 3:51 pm
Fr. Jim Martin, hero to many – including some self-defined orthodox who just lurve him – says the Pope should listen. Yay. But who should he listen to?
" Gays and lesbians next, certainly the least listened-to group in the church. What are their experiences? The new pope will want to know–and listen. "
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/catholic-leaders-weigh-in-if-i-were-pope/2013/03/11/5afd2c64-89ef-11e2-8d72-dc76641cb8d4_story.html
March 11, 2013 at 4:28 pm
I think a pope needs to listen. I also think a pope needs to tell you when you're wrong and how to get right. Like Jesus did.
March 11, 2013 at 5:13 pm
I want a pope named Raymond Burke. đŸ™‚
March 11, 2013 at 6:03 pm
What Paul H said!
March 11, 2013 at 7:11 pm
Paul's comment, +100!
And Amy, I want a Pope who listens less, and teaches more. A Pope who, like God above, gives us not what we ask for, but what we need.
March 11, 2013 at 7:25 pm
Burke would be an outstanding choice as also would be Chaput. Either of them would be able to remind all bishops what the curved end of the crosier (crook) was actually used for by shepherds.
March 11, 2013 at 7:58 pm
When Luther said we should get rid of the papacy due to bad Popes, here is how St. Thomas More responded. I think it's a good job description for a Pope:
"It is far more to be hoped that God will make such men Pontiffs as befit the Christian cause and the dignity of the Apostolic Office, who, despising riches and earthly honors, will care only for Heaven, will promote piety in the people, will procure peace, and exercise the authority they have received from God against the satraps and mighty hunters of this world, pursuing them with dire omens and handing them over to Satan if any of them invades the land of others or oppresses his own."
March 11, 2013 at 10:08 pm
In short, I want a Pope to be Pope. Is that too much to ask?
Not at all!
Our next Pope should "Pope" to the death, if need be. Just like St. Peter. He should be someone whose "field" is the ministry of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and not some other "field."!
March 11, 2013 at 10:41 pm
Anonymous@11:51 AM, Amy Giglio@12:28 PM
Hear! Hear!
It sure looks like Fr. Martin has forgotten that in order to follow Christ, we must deny ourselves.
It also looks like he's ignoring the fact that Jesus came to make us HOLY not COMFY.
Let us pray that the Paraclete infuse the cardinal electors with wisdom and humility.
March 11, 2013 at 11:47 pm
A Pope should be holy, fearless, always ready to fight to the death for God and against his enemies. Uncompromising and passionate in upholding the truth of Faith and Morals through the liturgy, preaching and governing. In the world, but not of it. Humility and ferocity going hand in hand. Small ego, Everything about him pointing to God.
March 12, 2013 at 7:08 am
Given the second anonymous cites the Washington Post's reporting on the Catholic Church—an institution it knows less about than it knows about guns—I think we can guess why he's reluctant to sign a name.
March 12, 2013 at 12:09 pm
@ Lynda: *A Pope should be holy, fearless, always ready to fight to the death for God and against his enemies. Uncompromising and passionate in upholding the truth of Faith and Morals through the liturgy, preaching and governing. In the world, but not of it. Humility and ferocity going hand in hand. Small ego, Everything about him pointing to God. *
This charism should start at the diaconate level. Do we really need a clergy that is not will to die for Holy Mother Church?
March 12, 2013 at 1:18 pm
Sadly, so many Bishops and priests not only don't satisfy this essential criteria but deliberately reject it. Blessed Michael, the Archangel, defend us in the hour of conflict …