Il Papa

The Chair of Peter will soon be vacant. Pope Benedict XVI plans to resign at the end of this month. It’s an unusual decision for a modern day Pope, but not unprecedented in papal history. The last resignation was in 1415.

I’m OK with his choice. The Catholic Church is stuck between tradition and its needs for the future and I suspect this frail Pope sees that clearly.

The Vatican is not only the administrative arms of the Catholic Church and its spiritual charge, it is a big business, a very big business and it is filled with political intrigue. It has one supreme CEO who makes all the important decisions.

Being Pope is a 24/7 job and the energy required is enormous.

There are frontrunners already being mentioned as the next Pope, but there is a Vatican saying…he who goes into the conclave as a possible Pope comes out a cardinal.

Supposedly there is no such condition as conservative or liberal within the church; there is only orthodoxy and error. But we do all know there are leanings to one side or the other all over the place.

It will be an interesting few weeks of speculation, ceremony and pageantry.

My wish for the next Pope is courage in his choices, wisdom in his leadership, love in his heart, kindness in his confrontations and tolerance in his dogma.