The Pope and the Future!
Last Tuesday, the cardinals entered the conclave to elect a pontiff. First came the black smoke and then the great plumes of white smoke poured out of the chimney, and the Roman Catholic have finally found their new pope in Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina. Initially, they couldn’t find a favourite to take the helm of the church, with reports stating that some prelates were seeking for a strong manager to control the much criticised Vatican bureaucracy, while others want a powerful pastor to combat growing secularism.
Pope Francis shyly announced at the St Peter’s Square that the cardinals needed to look to "the end of the earth" to find a bishop of Rome. The cardinals’ agenda was that they didn't need a dynamic, young pope who would reign much longer but rather a veteran, admired and modest shepherd who would draw followers to the faith. Does Pope Francis have the traits to lead the ‘flock’ would be premature to comment on. The media pundits are already craning their necks to get a glimpse of his early reaction, and the many Catholics are looking to see optimistic changes.
Before he blessed the crowd on his election, he wanted their prayers for him and bowed his head. Yes, this is an absolute necessity, as his predecessor’s resignation paved the way for the conclave that brought the first Jesuit to the papacy.
However, external flock (not Catholics) would wait and see whether the Holy See would alter the church doctrine and align with the Scriptures or would it continue to bequeath posthumous ‘saints’, venerate crosses on Good Friday service and give reverence to Marian devotions through novenas which once were practiced differently by the pagans to their gods of the Old Testament!
