Some Thoughts on the Pope

The pope died a few days ago. He was funeralized yesterday in St. Peter's square in the Vatican with millions of people watching. In addition to the millions who were in the Vatican, there were millions of others watching on television screens around the world. It was an incredible show of love and respect.

Watching the events was moving. Although I am not religious, it is still touching to see that many people commited to the memory of a man and his works. I can see how many people would yearn to be part of a world community like the Catholic Church (see my discussion of the Warriors fans below). But I had problems with the idea that all of the ceremonies, all of the pomp, all of the buildings and cathedrals and the robes and adornments are all per the mandate or word of God. The buildings of the Vatican alone make a good argument for the personal relationship to God of the Protestant branches of Christianity.

The pope, although a good and wise man, was no more a conduit to God than any of his Cardinals, a lowly priest in Chicago, a boy in Brazil, or me for that matter. It is hard for me to reconcile the strength of people's Catholic faith and convictions with the absurdity of the institutions and periphery of the religion.