The New Pope: What Would Jesus Think?

I’m not surprised about the new Pope. Once upon a time . . . and I’m not even talking about back in the day when Jesus (the original Christian), preached about love and compassion and looking out for the weak, the sick, and the poor. But I am talking about a time, more recently, when ‘The Church’ actually followed his evangelical credo. Now there are still examples of this, but for the most part, it’s gone. The religious right is in power now, and they don’t give a damn about the weak, the sick or the poor . . . or for that matter, Jesus’ message of compassion. An evangelical coalition, with Bible ensconced in armpit and tongue firmly in cheek, lobbies for tax cuts for the wealthy . . . and in the very same breath, against programs for the poor, affirmative action, and anything that even remotely assists the disenfranchised. But they love children though, I’ll give them that. Well, they lobby against abortion that is . . . but check out the Christian Coalition’s record on programs for actual living breathing children, especially little brown ones. It seems to me that if you’re still a zygote, they’ve got your back, but once you pop that coochie you’re on your own. And once upon a time . . . the world looked to America as an example of democracy and religious freedom. So is it any wonder . . . after the United States has dropped to its knees for these self-serving new-age evangelicals (the ones who really understand the business of the Lord), that in spite of a loud cry from Catholics from around the globe for a progressive, more liberal-minded, and non-European candidate to ascend the Papal throne (in an effort to stem the tidal-wave of young Catholics turning their backs on the church in droves) . . . that the Cardinals would choose someone even more hard-line than his predecessor. Of course . . . I stopped expecting the ‘right thing’ to happen a long time ago. Sorry to all those who prayed a new Pope would be a champion for the Third World’s poor and forward-thinking enough to blow centuries of dust off the Church’s position on abortion and gay marriage and bring them into the new millennium. Not that I really cared though. Whoever emerged at the top of the Catholic Church’s pot of gold was really of little consequence to me. My life won’t change one iota. I’m just thrilled it’s over. But you gotta wonder . . . when the Church doesn’t give a damn about the sick and the poor and the disenfranchised of the world, who does? What would Jesus think about tax cuts for the rich while abolishing after-school lunch programs? Or a society and Church which gets nervous-bowel-syndrome at the thought of a brown Pope? Actually . . . what would Jesus think of the Papacy period? Hmmm ……………. taylorSiluwé