He’s 76 years old. He’s of Argentinian descent and is the first pope selected from Latin America. He also has the tall order of fixing the reputation of the Catholic church following decades of hidden sexual abuse by priests, as well as modernizing the church to bring wayward Catholics back to the fold. Can he do it?
Yesterday, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was chosen to lead a billion worldwide Catholics as their pontiff. He selected the name Pope Francis, after St. Francis of Assisi and replaces the retired Pope Benedict XVI. “Let’s pray always for each other. Let’s pray for the whole world. May there be a great brotherhood,” the new pope told a gathered crowd at the Vatican.
Pope Francis is said to be a very humble man, who voluntarily gave up his driver so that he could ride the bus to be among regular people. He is also said to be a very compassionate man who can successfully serve as a teacher as well as a leader. But at 76 years old, he is racing against the clock.
The church is suffering from a huge perception problem. Distrust of priests following years of pedophilia combined with millions of dollars in lawsuits is only half the problem. The church’s stance on divorce, gays, as well as the role of women during mass has many thinking Catholicism is stuck in the stone age. The church desperately needs to modernize in order to survive. But, is this the leader who can bring the church into the 21st Century?
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Can the new Pope "fix the Catholic Church"?
Well…given his age, and his health (he's reported to have only one lung) and ALL of the challenges he's facing, seems to me that that's one heck of a Mountain to climb.
Nonetheless, only Time will tell.