The Center for contemplative practice
A Lay Cistercian Looks at Spiritual Reality
TEN THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT THE POPE
Here are some of my thoughts about the Pope. They are not sensational or even revelational, but reflect my own appreciation for the person selected by the Holy Spirit to lead us in how to love with our whole hearts, our whole minds, and our whole self.
- Every day, the Pope must strive to have in him the mind of Christ Jesus. How do you know that? Because that is what all of us who are signed with the cross of salvation must do and he is like us in all things, including sin. The Pope only lives for seventy or more years and then must pass on the title to his successor. See the list of successors that date back to Peter. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12272b.htm
- The Pope has no divine nature, only human, as does Mary, Mother of God. Only God has the divine nature (Christ has both divine and human natures). Christ is the head of the Church, not the Pope. He Pope, as Bishop of Rome, has primacy of honor as the first of bishops. All are equal, yet, like Peter and the Twelve, one is chosen to represent all. This tradition continues to this very day.
- The Pope commits sin and can make mistakes in judgement about whom to trust, how to proceed in this or that implementation, and how to select people that will not corrupt the Gospel message. How do you know that? We all commit sin, except Jesus and Mary, His mother. As such, he must ask for God’s mercy through the Sacrament of Reconciliation just as we do.
- Catholic Universal members must respect the office of Peter and give consideration to what each Pope says about how to love other as Christ loves us.
- The Pope is not infallible in anything he says in Encyclicals, teachings, opinion, ideas, or anything else he does. Infallibility has to do with the Holy Spirit protecting the Church from error.
- Only the Pope wears the shoes of the Fisherman.
- Peter receives the handoff of authority from Christ. Peter receives the primacy of honor. Faith does not come from the Pope, but from God through Christ by means of the Holy Spirit in our age. The Pope is supreme teacher because he reaches back through twenty centuries to guide us what is authentic and consistently believed by the Faithful.
- The Pope is the Bishop of Rome. The Sacrament of Holy Order contains three offices, Bishop, Priest or Presbyter, and Deacon. Pope is an honorary title, like Archbishop or Cardinal.
- The Pope is not the most intelligent person we can find. He should be the most humble. Humility mean I know who I am in the sight of God and I serve others who serve others.
- It is interesting to note that the Pope is one who convenes various groups of clergy and laity to come together to study issues of important to our age. The point here is that the Pope doesn’t just pull these ideas out of a hat. Through the history of Ecumenical Councils, these bodies determined what is authentic teaching in the Church and the Pope promulgated it. http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3801.htm
We must all pray for the Holy Father to ask God to bless him and will not abandon him to evil.
The Center for contemplative practice 