Selecting the next pope

On Monday, 115 cardinals will gather at the Vatican to select the

next pope. The process will largely determine the direction of the

Roman Catholic Church over the next few years and possibly decades.

Observers have speculated that the next pope could come from South

America or Africa. Others have said the next pope may hail from

Italy, where the majority of previous pontiffs have come from. What

should be the most important factor for the cardinals in choosing the

next pope?

The “Last Judgment” by Michelangelo dominates the wall behind the

altar in the Sistine Chapel where the cardinals will begin their

choosing business. Its powerful witness is that human beings are to

discern and do God’s will.

“What is God’s will for the people of the world?” should be

paramount for us all!

The electors who come from 52 countries on six continents will be

wise to be prayerfully mindful that they are determining a Christian

leader for the whole world, not only for their Roman Catholic Church.

They must be acutely aware that, after John Paul II, both the

church and the world have expectations of the pope that are very

different than they were before Karol Jozef Wojtyla’s election as the

265th Pope in 1978 when he was 58 years old.

The pope has more power than ever to bring together leaders, both

religious and secular, in the name of Christianity. (If I were a

betting man, which I’m not, I’d wager they will elect a Vatican

veteran or an Italian older than 58.) We need a person of prayer and

vision who will capture the imagination of the world. And, as the

outpouring of admiration and affection for John Paul II demonstrates,

we need such a leader now more than ever.

Christianity is not a one-size-fits-all enterprise. Electors

should prayerfully ponder how, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit,

the universal church may be maintained in unity of faith and life so

that ministry may accomplish services of love recognized by all

concerned to be God’s own.

The 266th Pope must understand diversity to be a blessing and find

resources for unity within our diversities. He (and we know the 266th

pope will be a he) must be a reformer and not only move forward

creatively into new areas of ministry (like shes), but take care with

areas in which there presently are significant and difficult

problems.

For example, personally, I find it scandalous that Cardinal

Bernard Law, the disgraced and unrepentant poster person for the

sexual-abuse crisis during his tenure as archbishop of Boston, will

be among those in the Sistine Chapel electing a leader for our world.

The cardinals, other bishops and priests like me have a lot of work

to do. All of us will do well be look, again and again, at “The Last

Judgment.”

(THE VERY REV’D CANON)

PETER D. HAYNES

Saint Michael & All

Angels Episcopal Church

Corona del Mar

Willing to listen.

Listening through dialogue, collaboration, study and inclusion

were the hallmarks of the Second Vatican Council, a gathering of

church leaders from around the world in the ‘60s to engage in the

critical process of renewing the Roman Catholic Church. Women and

non-Catholics were invited to these sessions. The next pope should be

chosen for his ability to lead the inspired work of a Vatican III.

The Pope should be willing to listen to the Catholic laity. He

should have appreciation for the sensum fidelium, or sense of the

faithful, as an essential source of church wisdom. He should be eager

to create and strengthen ways for the laity to have meaningful input.

The role of the pope in proclaiming Church teaching is often

overemphasized, while the fruit of the lived experience of the

Catholic in the pew is neglected. The next pope should listen to

parishioners and also those who have left the Church or who feel

marginalized.

The pope’s openness to listening to differing points of view

should be a factor in his selection. In the 21st century, authority

is earned by credibility, by reasoning, by education and by

persuasion, not by authoritarian tactics. More discussion must take

place on controversial topics such as end-of-life issues, stem cell

research, contraception, abortion, divorce, gay rights, women’s

ordination and married priests.

I have no doubt that some future pope will apologize to women and

seek reconciliation, but I am no longer certain it will occur in my

lifetime.

The pope should listen to the voices of moderate and liberal

Catholics and not allow fundamentalism to continue to dominate.

A pope should be selected based on his willingness to listen to

other bishops and work collaboratively. The National Bishops

Conferences should be encouraged to make decisions that reflect

sensitivity to the local churches and express cultural diversity. The

Sudanese Bishops’ statements in the ‘70s against female genital

mutilation and the U.S. Bishops’ leadership against segregation in

the ‘50s are examples of the inspired spiritual leadership of

national groups.

The pope should listen to economists. The church can play an

important role in the development of effective responses to the

threats of globalization. What can be done about starvation, child

labor, slavery, low wages, inhumane conditions and lack of healthcare

perpetuated by the political and corporate decisions which govern the

market economy? The pope must be able to contribute to the

development of an ethical framework on which to base the world

economy, and better educate the religious community about the new

dimensions of exploitation.

The pope should be someone who will work with other religious

leaders to develop this global ethic. Religious leaders must look

beyond doctrinal differences and find common ethical principles that

can be effective in meeting the threats of globalization, nuclear

destruction, terrorism, slavery, torture and war.

This must be more than symbolic meetings showing respect for one

another’s religions or finding points of accord within theologies:

Rather, it must be standing together to face the challenges of those

for whom personal gain is the only motive. Theologian Hans Kung warns

that there can be no survival of our planet in peace and justice

without such a global ethic.

The pope should be someone who listens through prayer. When

Cardinal Bernardin came to Chicago, he consulted the local priests

about what he could do to serve them. They asked him to pray.

It is easy to be caught up in liturgy, counseling, administration

and good works and to neglect daily prayer. Prayer and meditation are

a deep listening to all of life.

A pope who listens will hear the cries of the suffering and know

what to do.

REV. DR. DEBORAH BARRETT

Zen Center of

Orange County

Costa Mesa

A woman wrote to Abraham Lincoln that God had revealed which

generals to promote and which to relieve of command. She wanted to

meet personally with the president to offer the benefit of her

divinely inspired wisdom.

Lincoln wrote back, “Isn’t it ironic that God gave you information

about everything that should be done but that God gave me the job!”

The supreme quality to seek in any candidate for leadership --

religious, political, business, social, familial -- is the acceptance

of responsibility.

A leader must listen, digest viewpoints and receive counsel. But

ultimately, it is the leader who is entrusted with the job and is

charged with stamping his own imprint and fulfilling his particular

vision.

Referring to the pope, here is a steward of the past, a shepherd

of the present, and a safeguard of the future. He must be guided by

timeless verities as championed by his church. He must not calculate

his decisions according to the whims of the morning’s polls or adopt

a panicked response to the afternoon’s ratings. He must make his

choices in steady, firm response to a higher vision of purpose. It is

a man who exemplifies this quality that the cardinals will seek.

A religious leader must dream, must lift his eyes to the

mountaintops. One cannot soar when tethered to the ephemeral and

elusive goal of public acclaim.

An Israeli statesman, Abba Eban, said, “It is unrealistic to

expect leaders to ignore public opinion. But a leader who keeps his

ear permanently glued to the ground will have neither elegance of

posture nor flexibility of movement.”

A leader must set his sail through the shifting winds of popular

sentiment and persevere in matters of principle. He must listen to a

higher, still, small voice above the noise of the daily clamor.

Harry Truman, whose presidency included such momentous decisions

as the Marshall Plan and the first use of the atomic bomb, once said,

“I wonder how far Moses would have gone if he had taken a poll in

Egypt.”

Prime Minister David Lloyd George was “other-directed,” and famed

for his acute sensitivity to public opinion. Lord Keynes once said of

him, “When Lloyd George is alone in the room, there is nobody there.”

When the pope is alone in his room, the pope alone must be there.

RABBI MARK S. MILLER

Temple Bat Yahm

Newport Beach

What a great affirmation to the majority of the Roman Catholics in

the world who are not Caucasian, for the first time to have their

spiritual shepherd share the same ethnicity. It would be a great day

if the Cardinals could see their way to appoint such a man.

This is definitely not the most important factor though. The most

important factors are:

* Finding a man sold out to the Gospel, with a personal close

relationship with Jesus.

* Finding a man of prayer.

* Finding a man who has the conviction and fortitude to stand tall

in defense of God’s word and the orthodox faith in face of a certain

onslaught.

I know that the Roman Catholic Church has its own criteria, but

regardless of our differences on other issues, if the new pontiff

could fit the above criteria, I would cheer him on.

SENIOR ASSOCIATE

PASTOR RIC OLSEN

Harbor Trinity

Costa Mesa

Whatever success the next pope has will hinge on his ability to

communicate compassion and love. This was Jesus’ great commandment,

“to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your

soul, and with all your mind ... and to love your neighbors as

yourself.”

Whoever they pick must be a master at love and forgiveness. Fear

is fueled by egocentric conclusions that only love can dismiss. The

principles of love and forgiveness must define the thinking and

behavior of the next pope.

The next pope must also have a vision that heals the hearts and

minds of those who have been disenfranchised by the recent

revelations of a subculture of church leaders who have seriously

violated their moral standards. These issues must be brought forth

and those who knowingly deceived the authorities must be removed from

any positions of leadership.

This will require a strong, decisive and principled leader.

Anything less will sustain the suspicions and distrust that will

gradually erode the confidence necessary to rebuild.

Great leaders have four things in common: vision, principles,

communication skills and love. Such characteristics are the product

of a consistent desire to grow and improve. The next pope’s life and

behavior must reflect the highest spiritual standards.

SENIOR PASTOR

JAMES TURRELL

Center for

Spiritual Discovery

Costa Mesa