I for one hope and pray that the next pope will not be an American. There's talk in the Vatican that it is unlikely the next pope will come from this country. Honestly, I dont blame them.
Americans want a lot of changes in the catholic church. Many of these pertain to celibacy in the priesthood, ordination of women, birth control, the sex abuse scandal, among other things. Here's where I see the problem.
We as a nation seem to think that we deserve center stage in everything. We think that our problems deserve the most attention. Basically, we are self-centered and conceited and think the world revolves around us.
Sure, in the Boston diocese alone there are 500+ claims of sex abuse by priests. But what about the thousands in another part of the world who will die because they dont receive food. Do they or their families get to file lawsuits or get any monetary compensation or any consolation for their loss? What about in parts of the world where anyone could get shot or killed just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time? Doesn't that problem deserve some focus and attention as well?
My point is this: Our problems here aren't the only ones that need to be addressed. The rest of the world deserves just as much as we do. Its sad that so many Americans want an American pope just so that we can fix OUR issues. How arrogant!
I don't know what its like to be pope. I can't even imagine the responsibility and the burden of carrying that title. I'm sure none of us do. The thing is, I can look at the world as a whole and the person in charge of Catholicism will have to address ALL the problems we face as a church on the same scale.
I'm not saying the sex abuse scandal isnt big or important, but its only one among countless other problems the church faces. A priest from the US may be so inclined to focus on our problems so much and end up neglecting other responsibilites. I don't know about you, but I think THAT'S not fair.
The irony of this is that I too would like to see some changes in our church. But quite frankly, I don't feel the need to push so hard because I think most of us catholics haven't even adapted to the last changes that took place. This is actually an accurate description of us catholics, and dare I say, even most christians - We expect God to do everything and solve all our problems when we have forgotten that we have the power to make a difference. Lets not expect our new pope to solve all our problems. Lets help him solve it.
Americans want a lot of changes in the catholic church. Many of these pertain to celibacy in the priesthood, ordination of women, birth control, the sex abuse scandal, among other things. Here's where I see the problem.
We as a nation seem to think that we deserve center stage in everything. We think that our problems deserve the most attention. Basically, we are self-centered and conceited and think the world revolves around us.
Sure, in the Boston diocese alone there are 500+ claims of sex abuse by priests. But what about the thousands in another part of the world who will die because they dont receive food. Do they or their families get to file lawsuits or get any monetary compensation or any consolation for their loss? What about in parts of the world where anyone could get shot or killed just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time? Doesn't that problem deserve some focus and attention as well?
My point is this: Our problems here aren't the only ones that need to be addressed. The rest of the world deserves just as much as we do. Its sad that so many Americans want an American pope just so that we can fix OUR issues. How arrogant!
I don't know what its like to be pope. I can't even imagine the responsibility and the burden of carrying that title. I'm sure none of us do. The thing is, I can look at the world as a whole and the person in charge of Catholicism will have to address ALL the problems we face as a church on the same scale.
I'm not saying the sex abuse scandal isnt big or important, but its only one among countless other problems the church faces. A priest from the US may be so inclined to focus on our problems so much and end up neglecting other responsibilites. I don't know about you, but I think THAT'S not fair.
The irony of this is that I too would like to see some changes in our church. But quite frankly, I don't feel the need to push so hard because I think most of us catholics haven't even adapted to the last changes that took place. This is actually an accurate description of us catholics, and dare I say, even most christians - We expect God to do everything and solve all our problems when we have forgotten that we have the power to make a difference. Lets not expect our new pope to solve all our problems. Lets help him solve it.
