Recent news items are clarifying the coming battle known as the Papal Conclave. In an event perhaps as rare as the Pope’s resignation, that Conclave battleground guards two prizes: one for the Soul of the Catholic Church, the other for its Power. The battle will therefore be extraordinarily complex with enormous consequences for what until now is one of the most important institutions in the world.
The battle for the soul of the Church is part of an ongoing struggle moving Roman Catholicism from its terrible embrace of feudalism and its institutions to something new. The Church’s mission remains the same – bringing the good news of salvation to the world, but the instrument for doing this work, its culture and institutions, are under enormous pressure to change. Indeed many suggest if this Conclave does not deliver changes from a medieval European cultural norm to something that works in the 21st century this Conclave may mark the rapid decline and fall of the Church in modern times. Click here for an excerpt from an article published in Austra’s Die Furche on the subject.
The battle for the Power of the Church, while not well understood outside of Church and State circles, is being played out on a far-more-public venue than anytime in the last millenium. In the age of Twitter there are growing exposures of a Curia characterized by cronyism, financial malfeasance, and sexual excess.