A
venerable institution, the Catholic Church is at a moment of its history, where
decisions to be taken in the next few weeks will impact on its continuing
relevance in the modern age.
The
unprecedented decision of the Pope to quit on February 28th, is I
believe a good indication that the Church is at a point where it can redeem
itself first with those outside of the Catholic faith, then with those within.
It is still only a chance, and therefore it is important that the 117 Cardinals
from all over the world, under 80 years of age who are permitted to vote, will
select the best amongst them.
Firstly
let me say that a position for life, which the Papacy is, decides to retire, it
shows that the person occupying the seat has been able to come to the
conclusion that an office of that responsibility requires someone more able, be
it mentally and physically able at the time to carry out the onerous duties as
the head of the Church. That is an example to all leaders that in this day and
age the responsibility of governing is sometimes best left to others, if one’s
personal faculties become limited to carrying out the task as one would have
liked.
Then
when it comes to the particular issue in question there was an excellent
article in the Washington Post today, very readable that maps out some of the
event in the past year that may have led to the decision; namely a breakdown in
the management structure of the church. So the implication is that it is time
for someone more able to manage this behemoth, to take over the reins.
The
task of the Pope is made easier or difficult by the competence of his team and their
agendas. In many instances of Government there are personal agendas that get in
the way of good governance, and the Vatican is no different. It is a lesson for
us in Sri Lanka that we too must put our house in order, as when there are times
when things are not what they seem, there requires a change to improve the situation.
Let
us hope for the best interests of the Catholic Church, they find a suitable leader,
who is able to instill confidence and be able to guide the flock out of its present
slumber into a more meaningful period of spiritual upliftment, more in keeping with
the teachings of the Church and not merely following the processes of a bunch of bureaucrats.
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