Habemus Papam

Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum; habemus Papam:

Eminentissimum ac Reverendissimum Dominum, Dominum Georgium Marium
Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae Cardinalem Bergoglio qui sibi nomen imposuit Franciscum

And with that, Pope Francis was presented to the world as the first non-European pope of the modern age. While I was not in Rome for the news, and heard of it via the internet here in Poland, I feel like I should comment on this major occasion considering that Poland is 93% Catholic, at least officially, and that Francis ascends the Throne of St. Peter at a very interesting time. 

One thing I can't help but notice when reading about this election is how many practitioners of faiths other than Catholicism are taking a keen interest in the activities of the new Pope. This includes quite a few Protestants, some of them even evangelical, who as little as 50 years ago would have dismissed Francis as just another iteration of the Antichrist. From what I've observed, it is slowly beginning to dawn on religious people in the West that the commonalities between the various flavors of Christian are much more important than their differences, and the religious right is figuring out that their biggest opponents are those pushing relentless secularism, not the church in Rome. I think that John Paul II deserves a lot of credit for seeing this development decades ago, and working on improving interfaith relations. 

From what I've read of the American press, many American journalists who complain that the Pope is "out of touch" are themselves stuck in a parochial point of view. In Poland, where the faith is strong, nobody is pushing for allowing priests to marry or for gay marriage to be recognized. On the other hand, you can buy condoms just about anywhere you can get them in the States, and one Polish condom-maker has even gone so far as to have huge advertizements placed on the sides of prominent buildings endowed by a woman who is herself well-endowed endorsing the Skyn brand. The Polish answer to Viagra has commercials that air on prime-time TV, and unlike their American counterparts (which often suggest that this product will cause your spouse to put down the magazine she's reading, or will improve your ability to throw a football through a tire-swing), the Polish commercials are not coy about the intended purpose of the medication. Indeed, they feature a rear view of a shimmying woman (possibly the same one seen on the Skyn billboard) unclipping her bra, with a voiceover saying "some pictures look better when your equipment is working properly." 

My point is, yes, Poland is religious, but not repressed/begging to be set free of the bonds of overbearing religiosity. Some proposals that, say, The New York Times holds as vital if the Church is to survive and thrive are seen as weird, funny, and/or dangerous. 

The Pope is the leader of a global church, and must take the wishes of those outside of the United States (or indeed, the wishes of conservative Catholics in the United States) seriously. I do not expect to see major doctrinal changes coming out of the Vatican anytime soon. Though I do not want to get too political, I would also point out that some of the same organs that make the loudest arguments for cultural relativism and multiculturalism are the same that are the first and loudest to condemn the Roman church for having a dogma that they do not see as politically correct.

 I believe Francis' biggest challenges are going to be bureaucratic, not dogmatic. While many have said that the Pope's primary role is going to be as an evangelist, this time, ironically, to the First World, I don't see this as as large a role for this particular pope. Those who are still interested in the faith can probably be brought back if they see that the Church is well run or fulfills their spiritual needs better than some other sect. Those who are not interested in the faith in the West are probably not going to be brought around by slick marketing campaigns. Even if the Church does try to appear slick, young, hip, with-it and modern the result might well be another example of New Coke. 

What this particular Fisherman has to do is right the ship of state. The Church has been rocked by a number of scandals in recent years, and in the worst one, the sexual abuse cases, the Church has often come out looking shifty, callous, negligent and stupid. Leaks of Vatican documents and funny business at the Vatican Bank are also not helpful. By putting in a relative outsider from South America who is well-known for his frugality and modesty, I think the College of Cardinals made an inspired choice. The question is, will he be able to govern?