Habemus Papam! These days, one doesn't have to speak Latin or be Catholic to understand that proclamation. Following the lengthy, influential papacy of John Paul II and less than 8 years later with the retirement of the media's favorite punching bag, Benedict, we have heard that phrase at least twice mentioned on TV, radio and in the papers.
We have a pope. So what, some of you may say: "I" don't have a pope — he's the leader of "your" religion, not mine. Understood. Though my personal experience tells me that ecumenism is alive and well in Pike County, that doesn't mean my Protestant or non-religious brethren necessarily recognize the role of the papacy as something affecting them personally. He's a religious figure - about as important as the Dalai Lama or Billy Graham - but nothing more.
Two recent editorials and a political cartoon in the EJ, however, might make one think otherwise. Soon after the election of the new pope - Francis - there was an editorial cartoon showing the pope with a number of pigeons (or, perhaps, doves), each labeled with a different controversial subject: women priests, sex-abuse scandal, contraception, etc. Below it was a very insightful piece by a non-Catholic writer who reminds us of something important, juxtaposed to the cartoon above it: the Catholic Church should NOT change for change’s sake. The other article was written by the Catholic editor of the Greenwood paper, Tim Kalich, in which he reminds us of the fact that the Catholic Church is not a democracy.
The problem with the media and secular elites when it comes to the Church or religion in general is the inability to differentiate between theological and non-theological issues. Indeed, as far as they are concerned there is NO separation between the two (except when it comes to the public square ... but that's a topic for another day). Worse still, they see the attempt to distinguish between the religious and the secular as nothing more than slight-of-hand.
Why is that so? Recent polls show 80% of this country as describing themselves as Christian of one stripe or another. Of the other 20%, many are un-affiliated believers of various stripes with only a small percentage as actually self-described "athiests" or "agnostics". So what? This country was founded on the principal of religious freedom. It's only natural that there would still be a large number of "religious" people here.
Funny thing, however; you won't find nearly that high a percentage of believers in the mainstream media. This explains a couple of things. First, consumer confidence in what the mainstream media tells us is at an all-time low. We just don't identify with them and our worldview is often at odds. More relevant to the topic at hand, however, is that this characteristic may explain why those in the media just can't handle the fact that some matters of religion and, in particular, the Catholic Church - such as the Kalich article - are not up for discussion. At least, not in the democratic sense.
Which brings us full circle to our new pope and why he should matter even to those who are not of his fold. Matters of faith - at least those of substance - are not malleable to our personal whims. To paraphrase Flannery O'Conner: if faith is just a matter of my own likes or dislikes, then to hell with it.
Yes, there are many issues that the Catholic Church takes an unpopular stand on - oftentimes even within her own rank. In some cases, such as priestly celibacy, these are disciplinary matters that, if not literally "up for discussion" they are at least open for change. Other teachings, such as the description of direct abortion as "always an evil" and homosexual attraction as "intrinisically disordered", are based on Biblical values and natural law. It's safe to say, unlike matters of politics or secular law, they are not up for debate.
In a world full of confusion and less-than-dependable people we need our faith to be something more reliable; less fluid. I tell the youth at our church all the time that they are much better off being members of a religion that changes, rather than changes with, the times. Many, despite being raised in a have-it-your-way-when-you-want-it culture, subconsciously seek more stability in their church and from their church leaders.
Pope Francis, prayerfully, will be just such a leader. That would be good for the Catholic Church but, in fact, such stability would be good for all Christendom. Readers of this article may not be Catholic, but I think most of them would agree. As my good friend the Evangelical Protestant pastor said after I texted him "Habemus Papam" on March 13: "Yes we do."
Michael Artigues, a McComb pediatrician, writes regularly on family and social issues, or whatever strikes his fancy. “meus axilla” is Latin for “my armpit,” which he chose as the title of his blog in honor of his dad, who says that opinions are like armpits: everybody has them and everybody else’s stinks.
