The Existential Choice of the Next Pope
This choice will say a lot more than just who leads the church next. It says everything about what the church believes, what kind of world they want, whose side they’re on.
It has to be tempting. Pope Francis must have been an irritant, taking the church in directions many cardinals just weren’t comfortable with. Now he’s gone and the chance to change course is finally here. Not only that, replacing Francis with a doctrinaire traditionalist fits the exact moment we’re in. Authoritarian leaders are in power and in vogue across the globe from Trump to Putin, Xi to Orban, Maduro to Erdogan. A hardcore, old school traditionalist pope would get along well with them.
But it would also be absolutely the wrong call. We are at a critical moment in history. We’re choosing between two competing, mutually exclusive worldviews to decide what we believe in and how we live. The first is a zero sum, Hobbesian mentality. Life is short, brutal and nasty. Everyone against everyone else. It’s you or them. Only one of you can win. And it’d better be you.
The other is an abundance mentality (and not just in the specific context of making housing and energy facilities easier to build). It’s one where a rising tide lifts all boats. One where capitalism has helped lift three billion people out of extreme poverty, extending lifespans, slashing infant mortality, expanding literacy, giving people electricity and running water. One where democracy and cooperation allowed us to achieve the greatest act of discipline in human history — having the means to destroy ourselves with nuclear weapons and never using them. In many ways, the greatest period in human history.
And to put it in the context of the church, it’s a question of what type of god you believe in. The zero sum god is vengeful. Wrathful. Small minded. Basically not only all too human, but in many ways the least of us. The other is a god of love. A god that created and believes in humanity, in charity, in decency. The best of us.
A god that Pope Francis clearly chose. Look at his Easter message, the day before he died: “How much contempt is stirred up at times towards the vulnerable, the marginalized and migrants. I appeal to all those in positions of political responsibility in our world not to yield to the logic of fear which only leads to isolation from others, but rather to use the resources available to help the needy, to fight hunger and to encourage initiatives that promote development. These are the ‘weapons’ of peace: weapons that build the future, instead of sowing seeds of death.”
Pope Francis was right. And the choice of his successor isn’t just the next person to sit on the papal throne or wear the papal hat. It’s a signal to every Catholic and to every one of us of what kind of god they believe in. I am not a Christian, but my understanding of Jesus is one of love and humanity. Washing the feet of the poor. Understanding we are all human, all imperfect, most of us doing the best we can.
That’s the opposite of what we’re seeing around the world right now. We have a federal government that cuts school meals for kids, that wipes out health care for the poor, that creates a society encouraging everyone turning on everyone, a government that blatantly ignores the rule of law. And we see that reflected across the globe, with far right parties gaining power from Finland to France, from Germany to Argentina.
Why? Because we are human. People get scared in times of change and uncertainty. They’re more susceptible to demagogues. That’s when the church matters the most — showing true leadership, making good choices, giving people direction, guidance and hope in a time of extreme anxiety and crisis.
Yes, there’s probably some Machiavellian cardinal in the mix whispering to the others that the smart move is to align themselves with the people in power, that the long term health of the church matters more than anything else and that they have to keep the big picture in mind.
The big picture is a better world — people with enough food to eat, with basic needs met, with basic rights respected. This is not a leftist view of the world (I’m not even a Democrat, let alone a progressive). It’s a human view.
This choice will say a lot more than just who leads the church next. It says everything about what the church believes, what kind of world they want, whose side they’re on. I’m pretty sure I know which one Jesus would choose.