A Pope of Our Own

Much buzz has been created about the Conclave in Rome and the election of a new pope. As Autocephalous Catholics, we do not look to the Pope as our leader. This is true for anyone not in communion with the local Roman Catholic bishop, despite any perceptions to the contrary. In fact, the position of the papacy is one of the major issues which facilitated the break in our relationship. As Bishop of Rome, we honor the pope as the first among equals and the successor of Saint Peter. However, this is where the adulation ends. To consider him as infallible on matters of faith and morals and holding universal jurisdiction is, well, a step too far.

It would be folly, however, to not acknowledge that the papacy has an impact on us all. As the saying goes, adapted from a statement by Klemens von Metternich, "When Rome sneezes, the rest of Christendom catches cold." When Rome radically changed the Roman Rite in 1969, much of the rest of Christendom followed suit. Similarly, so many of our customs and traditions come from Rome that it has a big impact on the rest of us.

Despite the honor given to the Bishop of Rome and an acknowledgement of the papacy's impact on the rest of us, I will confess that we otherwise go largely unimpacted. We will pray for him and we will have our opinions about what changes we would like to see that might affect us. This is natural, like acknowledging that an election in a neighboring country will inevitably impact ours. However, because we are not Roman Catholics, we are largely not affected by what happens. Any investment on our part in hoping for a certain outcome or wanting the pope to change this or that is largely misspent. 

In the meantime, we will continue our work of providing pastoral care, sharing the sacraments, and building the Kingdom of God. I will certainly pray for the man chosen, that he lead his flock with wisdom and prudence. A job made all the more difficult by infallibility which, to the ill informed, seems to extend to everything. As for me, I will focus on my very little patch in the Kingdom of God.

"To go to Rome is little profit, endless pain; the master that you seek in Rome you find at home or seek in vain." - Sedulius of Liège