Habemus Papam

So the college of Cardinals selected an American and a Jesuit. I find this fascinating.



I am thinking back to a story my dad used to tell about being in Germany and remarking about a piece of 'antique' furniture. The people pointed out that it wasn't considered an antique because it was only 200 years old.

The Jesuits are a fairly young order at just under 500 years. And the Americas were only discovered five centuries ago. Now this may seem like a long time, but the Church held such a grudge that the name John was not used for a Pope for 500 years.  So to them, 500 years is like yesterday or last week.

I'm old enough to have heard about lists of books considered impermissible under the Codex or Canon Law in the first half of the 20th century. Books by Nietzsche and others were not tolerated. Fortunately the Christian Brothers at my university were fairly enlightened and open to ideas. And having gone to a Jesuit high school, I was just brimming with questions.

But it was always weird to jibe the intellectual foundation I was given with the spiritual regimentation of the Church Only, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic. How does one full of doubt come to grips with an institutions built on an admixture of hubris, moral certitude and complete ambivalence about 'the real world.'  The Church has a certain anti-intellectualism about it that I've never been comfortable with. Coupled with the very real crimes committed and covered up and let's just say I can appreciate the voodoo but do not wish to play along anymore.

I have my own spirituality and I'll discuss it if somebody asks, but most don't care.

But now I'm watching my former spiritual home being taken over by an intellectual who takes the mission of the Church very seriously and has little time for political bullshit. His working to keep the Church from too tightly aligning with the Liberation Theology movement are very telling. It was and remains a bad philosophy which eschews economic realism and imperils the very people it is supposed to be protecting.

His view on baptism of children from single mothers is also telling. Whereas other priests would refuse to baptize - he points out that they're merely pushing those who need the Church the most, away. And that is the bigger son. Spot on. The Church can, ought and should remain a force for the most needy and does great work in that area. That's where it should expand. I will still give to Catholic oriented charities because I know they will use the money efficiently and to great results.

But seeing someone from the New World who comes from an order which has been blackballed multiple times is something refreshing. I wish him many healthy years. I hope he gets the house straight.