The New Pope

White smoke graced the sky over the Vatican. The catholic faithful and the world then knew that the successor to the deceased Pope Francis had been elected by the conclave of cardinals. The new pope was none other than:ROBERT PREVOST, 69 YEARS OF AGE.There was nothing remarkable or new about the election of this pope as there had been several hundred before him, except for one thing. Robert Prevost was an AMERICAN and consequently became the very first American pope in the history of the catholic church. That was a surprise to some, even shocking to others.Robert Prevost was from Chicago, Illinois. He grew up a baseball fan and his team was the Chicago White Sox. I wonder what he thinks of them these days, a sad sack of a baseball franchise, losers year after year. Prevost rose through the hierarchy of the church as priest, bishop, cardinal, special advisor to Pope Francis, and gained notoriety among the cardinals of the church throughout the world because of his close relationship with Pope Francis.Now, the world and the catholic faithful wonder what this man really believes, how he thinks, what his social and political values are, and whether or not he will continue the somewhat progressive policies and decision making of Francis or lead the church in a different direction. Conservative cardinals had called for the election of the new pope in the mold of John Paul II, a bold conservative pope, returning the catholic church to its roots, heritage, tradition, but those cardinals were very much in the minority. They indicated to the conclave of cardinals that they strongly felt:“We desperately need a man of the spirit.”That plea, however, fell on deaf ears.One cardinal eloquently stated that our culture (American) and the world at large is one SICK AT HEART. We are, said he:DIVORCED FROM THE MYSTERIOUS AND THE SACRED.The real power of the church, convincingly spiritual in nature, has been eroded, resulting in a church fragmented, attendance at mass down and the rituals and traditions in a state somewhat of disrespect and in some sense unnecessary. All of thatsuch vocal cardinals hoped would change with the election of the new pope, RobertPrevost, who will be known to the world as:POPE LEO XIVAnd more from the conservative element in the conclave of cardinals. Said one:“The last thing we need is for spirituality to be updated, modernized, maderelevant to our alienated souls.”Which of course means that the church needs to return to roots and not re-modernize.The roman catholic church and the long line of popes harken back in a line to Peter, aGalilean fisherman, who became a passionate disciple of our Lord Jesus Christ who, inPeter’s conversion, told him that he would no longer fish for fish but that he wouldbecome a:FISHER OF MEN,And, Jesus said, that upon this rock I will build my church. It seems as though thissmall, minority group of cardinals was hoping and praying that the new pope wouldhave as a burning priority the call to all men that they, like Peter, would becomefishers of men, strong believers in the saving grace of Jesus Christ, the real head of thechurch, and the son of the Living God. Now, it is up to Pope Leo XIV to show the worldwhether that will be so.The first words of this new pope were encouraging. They were as follows:“PEACE BE WITH YOU! DEAREST BROTHERS AND SISTERS, THIS WAS THEFIRST GREETING OF THE RISEN CHRIST, THE GOOD SHEPHERD WHO GAVE HISLIFE FOR THE FLOCK OF GOD. I, TOO, WOULD LIKE THIS GREETING OF PEACE TOENTER YOUR HEARTS, TO REACH YOUR FAMILIES AND ALL PEOPLE, WHEHEVERTHEY ARE.”This new pope wants all humankind to believe in the:RISEN CHRISTAmen.Vatican experts however have said that Cardinal Prevost had very similar values toFrancis, having been made a cardinal by Pope Francis. Those priorities were thechampioning of the poor and more which others have said indicate a socialistic form ofbelief and frame of mind. Time will tell.President Trump congratulated Robert Prevost and hoped to meet the new pope, whileJD Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, also congratulated Leo XIV andoffered his prayers that God would bless him in his important work.Vatican experts have compared Pope Leo XIV’s championing of the poor and themigrants, especially those who made their way to America illegally or not, to that ofPope Francis. Said one Vatican expert:“He’s (Robert Prevost) right out of Francis’ playbook.”If so, that will come as a disappointment to the conservative element in the catholicchurch and in the conclave of cardinals. It is very probable that Pope Leo XIV willfollow very much in the footsteps of Pope Francis.Vatican experts have also theorized that the church has long hesitated to name anAmerican pope because of the United States’ status as a global superpower. They fearthe concentration of power. However, they do believe that Pope Leo XIV will have aglobal perspective and tend to the needs of the global church.Time will tell. The catholic church faces some pressing issues including migration,wars, climate change, inclusion of LGBTQ Catholics, women in church leadership, andthe Trump presidency which Pope Leo XIV eschews and has shown disagreement andeven disrespect for President Trump. He made a somewhat encouraging statementabout the western media as follows:“Extraordinarily effected in fostering within the general public enormoussympathy for beliefs and practices that are at odds with the gospel.”Leo XIV also said that he opposes ordaining women which will be disappointing tomore modern catholic elements.The bottom line of course, especially to evangelical and born-again Christians, is thatthe head of the church, the real church, is none other than:JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF.Everything that matters about Christianity comes from Him and is about Him,including the salvation process. Conservative Catholics want the church (and the newpope) to return to conservative principles, the real roots of the church, and to becomea spiritual force and not a political one. Today, say church experts, everything turnspolitical or becomes involved, and in the case of the catholic church, the real missionbecomes watered down. We should hope that this new pope will once again emphasizeand reprioritize the most essential belief in all of Christendom, and the church ofJesus Christ, that HE is the cornerstone, the rock, the central force in all ofChristendom.