There’s no smoke without fire
**It’s quite a fascinating sight; white smoke billowing from the Sistine Chapel, informing the outside world that a new Bishop of Rome has been elected.
Before this week, it’s an event that has only taken place once in the last 34 years.
As thousands upon thousands gathered at San Pietro, the Cardinal Protodeacon delivered the Latin announcement to the world, ‘Habemus Papam’, bringing further cheers from an excited crowd. **
Jorge Mario Bergoglio is the first leader of the Catholic Church from outside Europe in 1,272 years, and the first ever from Latin America. He is seen by commentators as a potential reformer with regards to poverty and economic inequality, yet at the same time a conservative when it comes to abortion, euthanasia and same-sex marriage.
So what can we expect from him?
In one sense he can be seen as an inspired choice. The world in 2013 is very different to that of 2005 when his predecessor, Benedict XVI, was elected. You may have seen the picture circulating around Facebook, illustrating the dramatic development of technology in the last 8 years, from a couple of flip phones in 2005, to hundreds of iPads and other electronic devices recording history being made on Wednesday. Despite an image that suggests rapid consumerism and prosperity, the fact is that today we are in the midst of an economic crisis, with opportunities closing down and the gap between the top and bottom becoming ever wider. Pope Francis, with his strong record on issues of poverty, may be a step in the right direction in terms of bringing about that direct link between the very top and the very bottom, at least in the Catholic Church
Many in the church, and other religious institutions, see not only economic and social crises in our world today, but a crisis of morality. In that photo circulating Facebook, the most striking characteristic is surely the use of modern technology to record an ancient tradition. Pope Francis’ simple lifestyle and philosophy is a bit like former Prime Minister John Major’s Back to Basics campaign in the early 1990’s, which sought to bring issues of law and order, education and morality back to the centre of British life in the background of a rapidly changing world.
Yet we cannot ignore the elephant in the room. The new Pope’s record on moral issues such as euthanasia, abortion and same-sex marriage is simply at odds with the modern world. His predecessors hardline views were not only disturbing but dangerous, in particular his position that the use of contraception in Sub-Saharan Africa would worsen the Aids crisis. And of course there are the ongoing sex abuse cases, a series of convictions that have shocked the world and exposed many in the church as guilty of covering up the most horrific of crimes. Benedict XVI seemed hopelessly out of touch with reality with regard to these issues during his papacy, and with the new Pope’s record, it doesn’t look like we’ll see any improvement in the near future.
So does the church have a future?
Despite it seeming more unpopular than ever, there are an estimated 1.2 billion Roman Catholics in the world. We all saw for ourselves on Wednesday what the church meant to the thousands of excited onlookers at the Vatican.
What this comes down to is spectacle. Speaking as someone who loves politics, it is clear that politics has become incredibly boring recently, especially at a European level. In the United States it is a fundamental part of their culture, and the spectacle of a Presidential election does this justice. Yet watching European leaders meet to discuss budgets, austerity and bailouts is simply not the same. Millions of people tuned in on Wednesday from around the world to watch tradition at work and a spectacle of colour and ceremony, much like millions of people were fascinated by the royal wedding 2 years ago. Unlike the British monarchy, however, the Catholic Church has not modernised, and until then it’ll struggle to find a comfortable place in the 21st century.
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