[OPINION] The next pope

What will a post-Francis papacy have to say to the world? How will the next pope deal with the leaders of the world, and by what moral authority will he continue to serve as a conscience of cosmopolitan politics? 

Analyses and political commentaries on Pope Francis and his papacy have layered as he continues his Asia-Pacific journey. While some of them are insightful and reflective, others are either speculative journalism or skewed geopolitical readings. But at the core of all discussions is a kind of concern: What kind of a pope will the world need after Francis?  

This is a question that needs to be answered from the perspective of both faith and human reason.  It requires an honest admission that the Church can no longer rely on its triumphalist past.  However, we must also be prudent and discerning in not forgetting that the Church, no matter what, is not a political party and the pope is not a president or a prime minister.  

Francis’ papacy is shaped by a world that needs to defend humanity from threats that are not as clear as they were 50 years ago. John Paul II had communism and atheism as the obvious targets of his moral discourse. This was specifically true in the ’70s and ’80s though his concern would shift to moral relativism in the ’90s. Benedict XVI would continue his predecessor’s fight, underscoring the seriousness of the “dictatorship of relativism.” Under the German pope, clarity was sought in the areas of interreligious dialogue, internal Church policies, and the meaning of Vatican II. Both popes had to suffer the consequences of sex abuses that dragged down the Church’s credibility even in the most Catholic of places in the world. 

When Jorge Mario Bergoglio assumed the papacy in 2013, he had to deal with evils that continue to haunt the Church. Sadly, the enemies of the institution are not just external forces.  They are issues and concerns that are the Roman Curia’s own making.  Clericalism, careerism, and elitism have been the major contributing factors to the scandals and abuses involving the hierarchy.  Francis inherited a Church that is divided and broken.  Added to this are the emerging challenges of populist governments and a kind of conservatist revival even within his own ranks. And while progressives and conservatives both in politics and in religion continue to quarrel with one another, two global realities have posed serious challenges to the future of humanity: climate change and artificial intelligence.  

In June of this year, Francis attended the G7 Summit in Italy and became the first pope to address the group.  He reminded the world leaders present of the ethical implications of AI. He stressed the need to put back the human person at the center of the world’s concern. This means that the defense of human dignity vis-à-vis AI, is a “shared ethical concern” that lies at the heart of all commitments to build a just and human society. 

What will a post-Francis papacy have to say to the world? How will the next pope deal with the leaders of the world, and by what moral authority will he continue to serve as a conscience of cosmopolitan politics? 

A pope is called to serve his Church, but he is not there to just carry the agenda of a naïve tradition. He also must seek ways that will allow the Church to be in dialogue with the world about its various concerns. The pope after all is a pontifex maximus, the maker of bridges, the builder of connections. He then is the shepherd not just of Catholics but of all human beings. He is the father not just of a fifth of the world’s believers but of all human beings including those who do not accept him.   

On the diplomatic aspect, the Pope will have to deal with the unsettled concern of Catholicism in China.  This among other relations with states which the Holy See needs to maintain. He will have to discuss with heads of states the Church’s contribution to such global concerns as climate change, human rights, and the welfare of migrants. He will be the voice not only of the Holy See but the values it represents and the principles the Church believes should be shared by all: respect for human dignity, the importance of solidarity and subsidiarity, and the universal significance of the common good.  

The next pope will remain to be a symbol and a scandal.  He will continue to stand between tradition and modernity.  A man who shall further seek to bridge cultures and religions, but nevertheless the vicar of Christ who is no less an image of division. 

This piece cannot end without an expression of the writer’s discomfort in the often-publicized Pinoy pride for having Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle in the Vatican and him being labeled as Asia’s Francis. Tagle for sure does not wish for the papacy. But perhaps admirers and well-wishers, be they religious or lay, should think seriously and reflectively. The papacy is not just a job. It is not a contest for global representation like the Miss Universe. It is a serious call. Ultimately it is the work of the Holy Spirit. From a political perspective, we need to have a pope who is not only prayerful but also skillful. Nationality and popularity are not really the best qualities. As in a job, the work has a lot of hazards. We need the right man at this point where people stand in liminalities of modernity and post-modernity. Whether Tagle will be the right man for this calling — is up to the Cardinals to discern and ultimately for the Spirit to guide.  

At the end of the day, the pope has to pray and believe that all the world’s concerns cannot be solved by the work of human hands. As leader of billions of Catholics and as an icon of faith of billions of other believers he must be a testament to faith, the modern Abraham who is not afraid to go through “fear and trembling” if only to radicalize the commitments of love and justice to their limit. The next pope should continue to stand as a reminder that although the world needs the cooperation of all humans for it to be saved, but in the end the salvation of the world can be achieved only by and through the power of God. – Rappler.com

Rhoderick John S. Abellanosa is a founding member of the Cebu Theological Forum. He is currently a graduate student of the Department of Philosophy of the University of San Carlos where he is enrolled in its doctoral program.