The Replacement

As we all know, Pope Francis has passed, and now the Vatican is setting the election wheels in motion, to fill the void in leadership.  I hear that there are a couple of Portuguese cardinals in line for the position, so there exists a possibility that the next leader of the Catholic church may be from the homeland.  

Most of the voting cardinals are more progressive than conservative, so maybe Catholics around the world may enjoy having someone that thinks along the lines of his predecessor.  This, I believe, may help the Church maintain some level of relevancy in today’s world.  Ther are over 20 cardinals that have been deemed ‘papabile’, which means they are the candidates to look for, although it’s not set in stone.  The late Pope was not deemed papabile at the time he was voted in. There seem to be few apparent favourites this time around, although fewer would want to be on that list, as most front-runners don’t usually make it past the first round of voting. From what I’ve managed to find out, most of the voting cardinals have never even been part of a Papal Conclave, (the group that will be convening in the Vatican in order to discuss the current state of the Church and what direction it will take, so they may then vote in a new pope by a majority of two-thirds).  Reportedly eight out of ten members of the Conclave were appointed by Pope Francis himself over his tenure, which makes it highly likely that a progressive will be leading the way.  As of May 7th, the doors to the Vatican will be closed, and the game will be afoot.  Four rounds of voting, and after that, if one individual is agreed upon, then the white smoke will rise from the chimney.  If not, they keep hammering it out.

  With 1.4 billion in his ranks, the Pope wields a mighty social sword, which means he plays a major role, in these tumultuous times.  Pope Francis was vocal about the disparity we live every day.  He was sympathetic to those the bible deemed unworthy, and he spoke his mind, which attracted the attention of many non-Catholics, and even those who don’t believe in deities.  His predecessors were much more reserved when it came to world issues.  He was pretty cool for an old catholic guy, who had the weight of the Church, and all its misdeeds, on his shoulders, (which could sometimes be seen on his face).  He wasn’t perfect, but he was respected, and by those outside the Church, which is no easy accolade. 

  The next man in charge will have some mighty big shoes to fill.  Also, it would be something to see, if a younger pontiff were voted in.  They always seem to be so old, but then again, it takes a lot out of a person when in positions of such magnitude.  The world needs more people of influence to fight the forces that plague us today.  The new Pope needs to continue to call out tyrants and their imposed disparity.  He needs to join forces with those others that are calling it for what it is.

Fiquem bem,

Raul Freitas/MS