Canadian Liberals are experimenting with universal suffrage in selecting the party’s next leader. You too can vote. You do not even have to be a Liberal Party member as long as you are not actively supporting some other political party. We have even heard of people resigning their membership in other parties to join the Liberals in voting. Just think what might happen if the Church of Rome went along with that method? The mind boggles.
Would it hold the promise of never again having the church trying to survive the cloying conservatism of another Pope Benedict? Not likely. Not with what Cardinal Collins of Toronto said to the media who came to see him leave for the Conclave of Cardinals to replace Benedict. He told them that the biggest challenge facing the church in Canada is ‘rampant individualism.’ And can you believe that Collins is one of 118 fusty old men who get to choose the most powerful church leader in the world?
As Canadians, we should get down on our knees and thank some God for all these rampant individualists among us. The ones who fail us and do the most damage are those who quietly leave the church of their childhood but still allow their children to be indoctrinated. They are continuing on a path of failure. It is like driving a car that has a rear view mirror larger than the windshield. There is only a wasted past for such a church.
The Roman Church relies on its numbers and a third world that is still trapped in ignorance. Some in the church see this as a time for an African Pope to be chosen. It is possible that some might appreciate a Pope from a country where women are still traded and treated as cattle. Why would you expect more from a church run by dried up old men with only faint memories of the joys of female companionship?
But then universal suffrage would have its own problems. The Liberal Party in Canada might have already come to the conclusion that it is not the perfect solution. We already have our rock star!
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Copyright 2013 © Peter Lowry
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