The Next Pope...

(This article was written before the announcement of new Pope being chosen, but the same rings true)

I feel strange writing about who will be the next Pope.  I’m not a Catholic.  But I am not of the tribe of Baptists who think Catholics are going to hell.  I was a hospital chaplain with a young Catholic priest, and I was impressed by his devotion and faith.  Catholic writers like Thomas Merton and Henri Nouwen have spoken deeply to my soul.

I admired Pope Francis.  He seemed to be a compassionate man, with genuine care for the poor and a desire for justice.  Instead of appointing Cardinals from traditional bastions of power in Europe and North America, he diversified the college of Cardinals by appointing men from around the world.  Again and again, he spoke of God as a God of love for all people, not just a few.

The history of the Roman Catholic church is problematic.  There have been many abuses of power that date back centuries. Scandals involving sex and greed are woven into sterling examples of selflessness and devotion.  Yes, the present scandals of the church are inexcusable.  Attempts to keep secrets are reprehensible.  The miracle is God works through imperfect people and imperfect churches to advance his Kingdom.

My own tribe of Baptists has its own abuses and scandals.  Southern Baptists particularly were strong proponents of segregation and racial apartheid.  A famous Southern Baptist pastor, W.A. Criswell, declared to the South Carolina legislature in 1956 that, “Anyone who believes in integration is dead from the neck up.”  Not exactly in line with the teachings of Jesus.  We hear regularly about pastors who have abused children and had affairs.  Jesus did say, “Let him who has no sin cast the first stone.”  Baptists have no right to throw stones at anyone.

I think being Pope must be a hard calling.  Everyone in the world expects you to be perfect.  The press jump on every misstatement.  Fellow cardinals jockey for positions of power.  People notice when your eyes linger too long on a pretty woman and accuse you of harboring lustful thoughts.  Even moments of intentional humility, like washing the feet of the poor, are photographed.  Like the President of the United States, all the decisions that come to the Pope are hard ones.  The difference is that the Pope is elected for life; the President steps down after two terms (ever notice how every President ages in office?).

Now that Pope Francis is dead, the College of Cardinals is convening to select a new Pope.  The papacy is no longer bought and sold as it was in the Dark Ages.  There was a time when powerful Italian families controlled the papacy and traded it among themselves.  Reforms came, and the College of Cardinals developed a process to elect a Pope by secret ballot.  Adjusting to technology, today, cell phones are confiscated, and jammers are set up to prevent contact with the outside world.

Behind closed doors, there will be lobbying and politicking.  I do not condemn the Cardinals for this.  In my tribe, there are Zoom calls and late-night meetings to determine who will be selected for a one-year term as President of the Southern Baptist Convention. Every pastor knows there are meetings after the meeting in the church parking lot to determine what should really happen.

Here is the remarkable thing: somehow, through all our human ambition, our flawed nature, God works.  The promise of Romans 8:28 rises up: God is working good in all things for those called according to his purpose.  God has a way of sifting through our mess and making something beautiful happen.

No one expected John XXIII to be a great reformer and bring the church into the modern era.  John Paul II was a brilliant tactician who helped bring an end to Communism.  Pope Francis was a calm, peaceful voice in a turbulent, divided world.  God has a way of bringing the right people forward at the right time.

This is a good promise for all Jesus followers, Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox, to embrace.  No matter what we face, God is at work.   William Cowper penned these words: “God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform …”  Jesus told us the Spirit blows where he wills.  I cannot fathom all the ways God steers the hearts of people, but I marvel at how he weaves our flaws into his purpose.

I was riding a bus in New York when a man asked me what I did.  I told him I was a pastor.  His understanding of Baptists and Catholics was not very clear.  He asked me if I was a priest who abused kids.  It was then I understood that to irreligious people, all Christians get lumped together.  Whether we are Catholic or not, non-Christians assume the Pope represents all the followers of Jesus.

So, I pray the new Pope will be a person who loves mercy, who does justice, and who walks humbly with our God.  Come to think of it, I need to pray that for myself, too.

-May 11, 2025