Pope Francis

NEW POPE..........NO CHANGE!!!

It only took five ballots to get Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the archbishop of Buenos Aires elected Pope. He will be known as Pope Francis.  He is a social conservative with a sympathetic attitude toward the poor. Even as a cardinal, Bergoglio had a strong presence among the poor of the city. I was in Buenos Aires last year and was shocked by the huge population of poor people. The number of people living on the streets is truly disheartening. However, I do not think Bergoglio's past work in the poor sections of Buenos Aires will send any message of optimism to the Catholics outside of South America, particularly those in Europe and North America.

The European & North American Catholics are more concerned about his theology. They will be disappointed to learn of his 19th century conservative views. This is not a man who will tolerate contemporary social values influencing Church dogma. He views homosexuality as unnatural and sinful, is opposed to same sex marriage, will not permit the ordination of women and has outdated views when it comes to human sexuality. Most of the western world's Catholics have long left the Church, but those remaining tend to be progressive when it comes to church policy so they will find little to cheer about with this new appointment.

To be honest, I do not know what other outcome one could expect given the process. Let's face it; locking up over a hundred unmarried senior men in a chapel to select a leader in complete secrecy is no prescription for selecting someone suited to the modern world.