What strikes me about the ex-archbishop of Bueos Aires, cardinal and primate of Argentine Bergoglio, is he refused the cardinal's palace and instead
lived in apartment nearby together with another elderly bishop, he was doing the cooking, used buses to visit the outskirts clothed in simple priestly
vestments. He visited poor, including hospices and washed feet of AIDS victims.
As pope however he would have many more challenges. N.1 is to appoint the new secretary of state, since card. Bertone's appointment automatically
expired with the resignation of Benedict. (that is valid for nearly all other congregations' heads). The new appointment will show the direction of
policy. What if he is American, what if he is card. Dolan that according to media got some votes in the conclave? Or what if he is from the Curia,
such as cardinal Kasper who called for "revolutionization" of Curia?
Then comes the issue of the sex scandal within the ranks in Vatican itself. The gay sauna in one of the Vatican buildings as one of the examples. But
that could be possibly fixed easier, firing a dozen or more people. John Paul II fired hundreds when he became pope in 1978 out of nowhere, out of
Socialist Poland.
The really difficult questions that concern the lives of hundreds of millions common catholics, however, are not the sex scandals but the social
reform and the management of Vatican finances. Enough with expensive conferences unending all the year round where thousands of bishops, priests and
other staff fly all over the world and spend millions if not more money of the church to "discuss" and doing NOTHING REAL! Bishops' luxury lifestyle
must be put to an end. Luxury cars and residences must be sold out. Cardinal O'Malley is a good example how that could be done - he sold the expensive
palace residence to cover the lawsuits of the abused people. Not only for the abused people, but also for the millions of INNOCENT common catholics
who perhaps feel many times they are abandoned by God and by the Church. I am not talking of the catholics in the USA alone, I am talking of the most
of catholics who live in the Third world. And even in USA there are poor needy catholics. The charity done already is NOT ENOUGH. Mother Theresa's
nuns cannot feed everyone. The Catholic church structures must change from luxury style CEOs to something more practical to respond to the needs of
the church members. If that doesn't start to happen within visible timeframe, let say a month or two, the hi hopes today will fade away very quickly,
no matter how inspired the homilies of the new pope might be. As it happened with Benedict who used to teach dogmatics but failed to do the above, and
had personally one of the most luxurous styles, including taking the most expensive cruise in Australia for his visit. Why did he go to Brazil to get
the cheers of the crowds, if he didn't say almost anything of the social inequality there? What the purpose of these intercontinental voyages, or the
countless "pastoral visits" within Italy, if Italian people that are mostly catholics had to suffer the economic crisis almost the same time? Where is
the input of the Vatican if there is such at all, in deciding social and economic problems within TRADITIONALLY CATHOLIC countries such as Italy,
Spain and ireland that are among the so called Developed West? Let alone the misery in Latin America that needs special efforts. The popes did nothing
or almost nothing, except for fighting the abortion (and that is a good thing but not the only thing they should ask the so called catholic
politicians to do).The list is long and does not start and end with the papal vestments, residences or expensive cars. One feels uncomfortable when
after praying the Via Crucis on Good Friday at the Colloseum one of the holiest places for Christianity, pope Benedict entered into his newest luxury
limo to get back to Vatican. Weren't there cheaper cars for "Peter the fisherman"? I believe pope Francis will be like St Francis in that regard, and
unlike St Francis will start the change from top to bottom (St Francis started it from bottom with personal example of poverty and prayer).
Then come the prophecy, that for many devote catholics takes the first important place, before everything mentioned so far. Will we ever hear the REAL
Fatima, and what does it mean for the entire world, not just the Catholic church?
How about the Jesuit astronomers' ongoing statements that discovery of life in the universe does not contradict the Gospel? What if indeed such
planets are discovered by the newest astronomical equipment, sponsored by the Vatican too? What if some of those beings have already visited the Earth
in secret? How would Petrus Romanus answer to that challenge? Will he save the humanity if imminent disaster is scheduled to come, such as mega solar
flare, utilizing the help of the benevolent (good) extraterrestrials? Will he discern correctly who are the evil aliens instead?
I don't expect pope Francis to start talking of extraterrestrials on the first days of his pontificate. I expect him to start cleansing the church,
and to release Fatima as soon as he finds time to get the documents in hand. The clock is literally ticking, and if delayed again, the cheers of the
crowds will change to apathy and the world will go another way. Perhaps the way of WW3 that has already been postponed countless times.
May God bless pope Francis, as he asked the crowd to pray for.
edit on 15-3-2013 by 2012newstart because: (no reason
given)
edit on 15-3-2013 by 2012newstart because: (no reason given)