My View: From a news perspctive it is intersting to have an American Pope. I doubt that Pope Leo 14 will bring an real or lasting change to the Roman Catholic Church. Kingdom – De-Churched: How The Church Lost Me, Part 5
The American Pope
As of right now, the entire world is reacting to a new Pope in the Vatican. We find ourselves at an interesting point in history, specifically because we have never before seen an American Pope. Quite possibly the most interesting piece of religious news to have happened recently.
Robert Provost, a Pope from Chicago, the most unlikely of all places. As an evangelical that tries to deal thoughtfully with the world, I look at this recent appointment differently than most.
The Vatican might be one of the most powerful organizations in the world. I can’t deny that I really didn’t like Pope Francis very much. That might sound a little hypocritical, but I was hoping that at some point, there would be a Pope finally willing to do some cleaning in the Catholic Church. We all know how much pain has been caused by the festering corruption, and I for one wanted to see it all end. If I may put it bluntly, Pope Francis was not the man to do it.
Will Leo 14 Make A Difference?
On the one hand, Leo appears to be different. For one, there is no questioning he is certainly more conservative leaning, with a handful of experimental dives into progressive ideas. Leo is also a stark rebuke to the legacy of Pope Benedict 16, who was famous for his love of the finer things. Then there is his intriguing take on protestants. Pope Leo 14 has refrained from openly condemning Protestants. What’s ironic is that Pope Leo 10 actually declared Martin Luther not only a heretic, but a damnable heretic. The irony is genuinely amusing.
I can’t discuss this without mentioning the embarrassment known as the ‘prophecy of the popes’. Popularized by Tom Horn (now deceased) in his 2013 bestseller, ‘Petrus Romanus: The Final Pope is Here’! This supposed prophecy was by an obscure mystic called Malachy, and was purported to predict the final pope who would usher in the end of the world as we know it. At the time it was good content, and I should know.
I bought a copy (and its sequels, ‘Exo-Vaticana’ and ‘On The Path of the Immortals’). An entertaining read, and it did present a believable case for the idea that Pope Francis would be the final pope. Of course, we know now this is complete hogwash. It hasn’t stopped media outlets from STILL promoting this ridiculous (and now discredited theory). I really don’t understand what it will take to make people understand how fake this nonsense really is. This constant moving of the goalposts has got to end.
Will this new Pope make a difference? I don’t know. As far as I’m able to see, this new guy appears to do little more than keep things just as they are. It doesn’t look like we will see any real changes coming. Despite my theological differences with the Catholic Church, I really do hope to see some real changes, particularly in the area of clearing out the corruption within the church. It needs to happen. Far too many people have been hurt by the refusal of the Vatican to do anything regarding these issues. Something desperately needs to change.
Will There Ever Be a Progressive Catholicism?
In short, it was my hope there would be a more progressive Pope this time around. Even as a protestant, and in spite of all my theological differences with Roman Catholicism, I still want peace. If Roman Catholicism is going to exist, then at the very least, I hope for a more progressive Catholicism. I’m hoping there will eventually be a rejection of the absurd rule that priests must abstain from marriage, I’m hoping there will be a more tolerant view of other theological traditions, that the Pope’s authority will be relegated to a more advisory role than an authoritarian one, and so on.
The way things are going, I seriously doubt any of this will be realized in my lifetime, but I am still hopeful. I truly hope that eventually the Roman Catholic church will acknowledge its errors and disasters throughout history so that we can all move forward meaningfully.
I am not suggesting that protestants have always been right, we most certainly have not. And I’m not ignoring the many issues we still need to fix. I will say that, as a general rule, protestants have been much more willing to acknowledge their errors than our Catholic cousins. Like it or not, there is too much division, hatred, and darkness in our world to get caught up in the futility of clinging to medieval ways of thinking. If the Vatican insists on remaining for future generations, then there needs to be a radical shift in their teachings and authority. We will see if Pope Leo 14 will guide the Roman catholic church into a better future, or continue clinging to dusty and useless traditions.
