So, does the new pope have to be a minority? Not necessarily, but just as Mr. Obama’s election (twice) has shown the world that Americans will elect a black man to be President, Catholics need the world to see that the pope doesn’t have to come from Italy, Poland, or Germany. The Cardinals must be willing to relinquish tradition in order to gain authority and respect again. If they elect a pope from a Third World country, they are not only saying that this man should be their leader but that the people in this part of the world matter to them as Catholics and as human beings.
Now, I am not saying that the pope actually needs to step on a basketball court and shoot hoops, but it wouldn’t hurt if he knew how to do something more connected to the real world. The next pope needs to have his fingertips on the pulse of the people, and not just those in Europe because he will be the leader of one billion Catholics worldwide. He has to be able to be a good defender, but offense is important too. The new pope has to know when to try to make the shot and when to pass to his teammates. Above all he not only has to jump, but he has to be humble enough to ask, “How high?”
Photo Credits: map - conswede@blogspot.com, pope – abcnews.com, Obama – sportsillustrated.com
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