There’s a new pope in town, I saw the white smoke rise above the vatican.
I saw a picture of the newest pope, Francis. Based on that picture I like him, so far.
The reason I like him is that he was smiling and it seemed to be a genuine smile at a time when many people in power don’t smile enough or present “courtesy” smiles for cameras. Francis comes off as a real person because of his real smile.
But really, most people, other than devout catholics, and lots of non devout catholics don’t have a deeper interest in the pope or most religious things other than a surface curiosity. The interest lately in the pope’s selection comes from our fascination with an ancient institution rather than what the institution represents.
The catholic church is in decline, has little relevance for for most people, and continually promotes inappropriate, wrongheaded policies. So the latest problem for the catholic church is that Francis sounds like he’s more of the same except he’s from the new world and with a new name. If thats true how much longer will the catholic church be around?