Sede Vacante

Now that Pope John Paul the Great is buried the media is focusing in on who will be the next Pope. While this is understandable, IT IS ALSO AN EXERCISE IN FUTILITY. The reason I say this is simple. Most of the media doesn't get the way it works any more than they got the Pope himself. & I wonder if they really want to. The reason for my thinking that is that if they did understand, then they wouldn't be able to take the ravings of all these so called experts seriously.

Lets face it, despite the size of the egos of the pro-choice, pro-women's ordination, etc alledged Catholics, they aren't as important as they think they are. The Catholic Church in the USA makes up only about 6% of the total Catholic population. & that only by allowing for those who claim to be Catholic, but are so only in name, to be counted. They think they are the ones annointed by God (if He, oops they would never use that word, it exists) to be the infallible spokesman here on earth. They claim that the Church, to be relevant, has to mold itself to the world's way of doing things. If what the Church is doing goes against the latest fad, theory etc, then the Church is wrong.

Well, I've got news for them, that isn't how it works. I think we better go back & look at what Jesus had to say about how the Church is supposed to operate. Jesus said that we are to be in the world, but not of it. If the world hates me, it will hate you. This world will pass away. It doesn't exactly sound like Jesus is calling us to conform to the world's standards. Rather we are called to challenge the world to conform to God's way. & to expect persecution when we do so. Much of the world will clearly reject the message, just as it always has.

Pope John Paul II did just that. & in doing so, he made people on all sides of the political spectrum uncomfortable. He did this in a loving way, without betraying the God he was called to serve by leading the Church. As I've said before, he was a true shepherd. He was a true prophet who boldly proclaimed the Word of God. The Old & New tetament prophets were persecuted & criticized. They were told not to proclaim the truth, to be quiet. So was the Pope. But, like the prophets, he spoke out all the more. The prophets were often killed to silence them, there was an attempt to kill the Pope to do the same.

If these people who claim that the only way the Church will survive is by changing to their way of thinking are right, why are the facts showing something different. The dioceses in the USA that are growing, that are heving an increase in vocations are the ones where the Bishops are faithful & speak out the teachings of the Church, who proclaim the truth in a bold & powerful way. Elsewhere, the same can be seen. The Church is growing in the 3rd world. There they want the moral leadership like Pope John Paul. They want these truths proclaimed & they are. Where the Church is doing this it is growing.

Hmmm! Maybe the truth is they don't want the Church to really grow. They want it to die & are doing their best to try & hasten the day that will never come.

So, who will be the next pope? I have no idea, but I am looking forward to the surprize the Holy Spirit has in store for us. He may not have the charisma of Pope John Paul. But, he will have the Charisms needed to lead the Church where God wants it to go. Not where the world wants it to go.