Column: Popery potpourri

By Chuck Prochaska

Ten days after the death of Pope John Paul II, the world has turned from mourning to a time of prayer and patience. The fate of the Church literally hangs in the balance, as cardinals from across the world have flocked to Vatican City to meet at the traditional conclave to decide the next pope. Their decision will be a monumental one, not only for the Church, but for the entire world, as this pope will be charged with carrying on John Paul II’s legacy of extending the Church’s global reach but, more importantly, guiding internal reforms and answering important policy questions currently facing the Church.

The selection of a new pope has consequences not only for Catholics, but also for the entire world. Pope John Paul II was a very public pope who became involved in social causes like war and peace, human rights and poverty. He was integral in providing an interpretation of God’s word and its context throughout the Cold War and the fall of the atheist Soviet Union. He made clear his thoughts about dictators like Augusto Pinochet in Chile and Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines, and his words spurred uprisings that crushed these oppressive regimes. The new pope must be tough on terrorism while still maintaining the strong relations with Islam that John Paul II built. He also must encourage continued conservative policymaking in the United States, the last industrialized conservative Christian frontier.

Pope John Paul II’s broad-based policymaking from the pulpit was his method of operation from the beginning. The Church was in disarray when he took over in 1978 after the Vatican Council II left it reformed but without direction or a sense of unity. Record numbers of priests and nuns were leaving, and John Paul II acted quickly to set the church back on track.

He instituted a strict conservative agenda that the church was to follow, including a full rejection of contraception, abortion and euthanasia, and he condemned the industrial world for cultivating a “culture of death.”

This controversial doctrine had many critics amongst the moderate and liberal sects of the church, but John Paul II didn’t care. He disagreed with the thought that democratic principles should be applied to the direction of the Church saying, “You cannot take a vote on the truth.”

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Some called him closed-minded, but like every good leader, his followers knew exactly what he stood for, regardless of their opinions of his policies.

Now the Church is amidst another identity struggle and needs another conservative pope who will meet this crossroads in the faith with a strong and succinct message providing doctrine and direction.

The new pope will have to dispel the possibility of women being accepted into the priesthood to preserve the tradition and sanctity of the office, because men, according to the Church, are the only sex capable of receiving this holy sacrament. At this point in the Church’s existence, as in 1978, maintenance of traditional conservative operations must be encouraged.

The new pope must also make it clear that priests are to remain celibate. In light of the recent public sex abuse scandals, some have suggested that the way to curb sexual behavior by priests is to allow them to marry. However, I do not buy the argument that a vow of celibacy leads one to become a pedophile or homosexual – both crimes in the eyes of the Roman Catholic Church.

Yet, the new pope must find an answer to this problem. First, he must institute a strict policy of removal, not relocation, for priests found guilty of such crimes. Second, he must review the Church’s current recruitment system for priests and devise one that attracts men who are truly willing to give their life to the Church and to God.

Almost 50 percent of American Catholics supporting Sen. John Kerry and his stance on certain issues – which, in my view, are contradictory to those of the Catholic Church – should be an indicator to the new pope that he must work to refocus his following as to how we really should be living our lives. However, with a strong vision and a steady hand, the new pope can set the Church back on track and continue being a guiding light for the leaders of the world.