( #Pope #Catholics )
Image Credit: Catholic Church of England
The conclave of Catholic Cardinals (say that three times fast) is in the process of picking out the next Pope. Taking my personal feelings about organized religion aside, these Cardinals have the opportunity to make legitimate changes that will improve the survival of the organization. With the departure of Pope Benedict XVI, the church should make a clear statement by picking someone youngish and accessible to mobilize the world’s remaining Catholics.
The church needs a dynamic leader who is willing to support thoughtful and forward-thinking change within the organization. I think the abrupt departure of Benedict is telling. I am expecting some unflattering news to emerge about the former Pope within 5 years. The church’s reaction to the sex abuse scandals was horrid. The business-as-usual approach will continue to eat away at the organization’s more moderate members until only extremists are left.
Choosing old, out of touch, sickly old men is a mistake. It will be interesting to see if the church has learned from their bad decisions, especially their most recent ones.
