Deliver Us from Evil

The Catholic Church seems hopelessly backward to many people. To them, it looks an old warhorse in a nuclear age, saddled with a rigid hierarchy, astride which sits a papacy frozen in feudal ways and a medieval mindset.

Anyone willing to take a closer look, however, sees a more complex reality. Since 1958, we have seen John XXIII re-commit the papacy to the ancient practice of collaborating with church councils rather than acting alone—a tradition that has since filtered down all the way to the parish level. We have seen Paul VI emerge from the shelter of the Vatican to create the pilgrim papacy. And we have seen John Paul II transform that papal sojourning into a worldwide papal presence—into, in fact, the most public leadership position the world has ever known. To anyone willing to look the truth is obvious: no other major hierarchy on the planet—not the US government’s executive branch, not the British monarchy, not any major corporation—can match the Papacy’s record of dynamic change over the last 45 years.

In that case, what kind of change can we expect from the next pope?

That will depend, of course, on who the next pope is. But three factors are sure to influence the shape of the papacy to come: (1) the personal qualities of the new pope, (2) his agenda on a variety of issues facing the church, and (3) his agenda for changing the papacy itself.

What Kind of Pope?

First, we should not be surprised if an older man is elected. It’s no real shock that John-Paul II is approaching the second-longest papal reign, since (at age 58) he was the second-youngest man ever elected (and the longest reigning Pope, Pius IX, was the youngest). The College of Cardinals may prefer, as they often have in the past, to offer the church a shorter papacy this time—by electing an older man.

Should that happen, we cannot assume it will guarantee a slower pace of change for the papacy. John XXIII, after all, was elected at 77 to “warm the seat” for a short while—and the result was Vatican Council II, the most comprehensive transformation of the church in at last 400 years.

Second, we should also not be surprised if the Cardinals elect another non-Italian, or even a non-European. Remember when Australia won the America’s Cup in 1983, 20 years ago this past month? After more than 100 years of competing in Newport, RI, it seemed inconceivable that the races could be held anywhere else. Yet since 1983 it has never returned to Newport—and perhaps never will. Likewise, when John-Paul II ended the 400-year Italian monopoly on the papacy, all future bets were off.

Moreover, since his election in 1978 the College of Cardinals is no longer dominated by Europeans. The leadership of the Catholic Church has become truly global, and we may have seen the end of a Euro-centric papacy. Consider this analogy: the United Nations, since its founding, has chosen its Secretary-General from either secondary European nations (like Sweden) or from the Third World, especially Asia and Africa. People have been comparing the UN to the Catholic Church ever since Paul VI suggested their similarity while addressing the General Assembly in October 1965. Maybe the UN model will become the Catholic model too.

This leads to a further possibility, which for American Catholics would be especially striking: we might soon see the first Black pope!

What Kind of Agenda?

Beyond these personal qualities, we naturally wonder about the positions the next pope will take on current issues. The main question is “Will he continue where John Paul II left off, or strike out on a course of his own?”

We should probably expect a pope who is conservative on church issues (especially relating to sexuality and doctrine), progressive on social issues (especially peace, racism, anti-Semitism, and third-world development) and takes a “seamless garment” position on bioethics and “life” issues (embryo research, abortion, capital punishment, war, euthanasia). The last three popes fit this profile, and John Paul II has used his long reign to shape the College of Cardinals in his own image. Legally, the College could elect someone not a cardinal (even a priest could be elected, thought he would have to be consecrated bishop before taking the papal office), but odds are the new pope will be one of JP II’s “company men.”

For the same reason, we should also expect the new pope to continue developing the major theme of John Paul II’s reign: the world’s future depends on building a “civilization of love” stronger than the current “culture of death”—and only religious faith can supply the energy, vision, and courage to make that happen.

A major question mark, for me, is whether a new pope will also continue the challenge of renewing the church posed by Vatican II. John XXIII wanted to “open the windows” of the Church—and the Council’s reforms did just that. But unless the Spirit blows fresh air in through these windows and pushes the stale air out, reforms alone will never guarantee that people’s hearts will change—and that is what true renewal requires. I fear that, in some ways, John Paul II’s reign has overshadowed this legacy of Vatican II—especially among younger Catholics, who can’t remember the Council. Will a new man pick up the torch of renewal, or will it smolder and sputter out before we can fulfill John XXIII’s vision for a renewed Catholic Church.

Finally, there is the question of the governance of the church. The clergy sex abuse crisis has convinced millions of Catholics (in America, at least) that, in significant ways, the Church has been badly managed organization for at least several generations. Confronted by one grim headline after another, conservative and progressive Catholics alike have voiced the same horrified reaction: “This is no way to run our Church!”

Perhaps the new pope will resist any effort to review church teaching, especially in the sensitive areas regarding sex. But the abuse crisis, as well as the priest shortage and (in America) the falling numbers on church attendance and financial support, are bound to build pressure for reforms in the way the church operates. And since the pope himself is ultimately responsible for overseeing church governance, the next pope will need to join—and hopefully lead—the growing movement to reform the governance of the Catholic Church.

Of course, if he does that, he will naturally raise the next agenda: how will reform of the church’s governance affect the papacy itself? Will the next pope, following in the footstep of John XXIII, Paul VI, and John Paul II, carry on their transformation of his own office?

Next week: The movement to reform the Papacy itself.

Send Your Comments and Questions to bfswain@juno.com