The Sharks Are Circling Ailing Pope Francis


Is this one of the "great moments in the history of the Catholic denomination" or just another hand off of the Pope's title? I think we'd all agree Francis has been refreshingly open minded and the sharks do not want another of those guys. Back a few decades there was a Pope John who said and did some liberal things, I can't remember what they were about, but the right wing won the position for several popes.

This time it seems different. It isn't just about married and women priests, it's about falling numbers and less money. These are the most important issues. Without numbers and money it will not matter whether there are female priests or married priests, it's about no priests.

When it comes to sending priests to far corners of the world to establish the faith it would ultimately be the same as every other denomination. For that matter, the same as every business. Some seed money is needed but in time each operation needs to raise its own money. After that, it needs to send money back to the home office. In every case there is a ticking clock. The Vatican's ability to market is becoming ever more limited and a new pope, even a more conservative one, will face this financial wall. 

Reading posts by conservative Catholics as well as podcasts of Lutheran Missouri Synod it is apparent survival of the denomination, or ever Christianity, is not the most important issue. The most important issue is "purity". That is, giving the proper finish to the sentence about the Bible, "What this means is..." There can be no young priests who enter the field married, no women, no gay couple priests and no tolerance for the dilemma faced by women who need abortions. The answer is NO, don't bother to ask.

Conventional wisdom is that Pope Francis has stacked the Cardinal deck against conservatives selecting their own successor. One would think a successor has been made known and votes lined up. It could well be that deals have been made for future post assignments.   

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