Salvation cannot be found in politics … or popes

Since the death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday, social media has been filled with expressions of loss and mourning, as well as opinions – both positive and negative – about Francis’ time on the Throne of Peter. The deceased pontiff is being heralded for his warmth and generosity of spirit, particularly as directed at the poor and otherwise marginalized: migrants, victims of wars and members of the LGBT community.

At the same time, Francis’ actions often stunned those who saw them less as outreach and more as alienation of the faithful and confusion of everyone else: his decision to reconstitute the John Paul II Pontifical Institute on Marriage and the Family and the removal of most of its leadership; the suggestion in his encyclical “Amoris Laetitia” that divorced and remarried or cohabiting couples are not in violation of Church teaching; his appointment of a pro-abortion activist to the Pontifical Academy for Life; his severe restrictions on the Latin Mass (a worship practice expanded and promoted by his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI); his demonstrable lack of understanding about capitalism and free commerce, and his fixation on the environment.

Unsurprisingly, opinions are definitely split about who the College of Cardinals should select as the next pope. Francis named 108 of the existing 135 cardinals under the age of 80 who can vote in the papal conclave, which suggests to some that the next pope is likely to have a more progressive bent, along the lines of Francis’ own. Other observers insist that the next pope needs to bring clarity to the waters muddied by Francis’ oft-impromptu remarks, and to emphasize salvation through Christ’s teachings rather than via contemporary policy initiatives.

Of course, the cardinals are not going to pay any attention to what anyone says on social media or elsewhere; they are going to do whatever it is that they do. And everyone else should stop warning that the selection of this man or that one as pope is going to destroy the Catholic Church, much less Christianity more broadly speaking.

Christ Himself said that the gates of Hell would not prevail against His Church. But He never said it would be led by the Vatican. His followers were attacked and persecuted by Rome. He Himself was crucified by a representative of Rome. And yet it was Christ’s little group that triumphed over the Roman empire. It was an irony only God could produce that the seat of the Catholic Church would come to be in Rome. (At least, most of the time.)

Even so, we should be careful about assuming that the preservation of Christ’s church succeeds or fails depending upon what happens at the Vatican. Like millions of other Christians, I will pray for a leader of the Catholic Church who is brave enough to proclaim Christ’s truth, instead of serving as a mouthpiece for the world’s power brokers, another man who pretends that salvation comes from politics (like the “right” attitudes about the location and rotation of the sun and planets, anthropogenic climate change or manufactured mass migration).

That is the same error that was made in Christ’s day; many of those who rejected Him did so because they assumed the Messiah would come with earthly power, political power. When He did not, they ignored and denounced Him. Still others feared Him because He threatened their earthly power. Then, as now, those in power could whip the ignorant mobs into a frenzy demanding the death of an innocent man.

It has been so ever since.

Consider, however: This country – the United States – was founded, in part, by many Protestants who fled Europe because of the stranglehold the Catholic Church had on European politics for centuries prior, and to escape the bloody battles between religious factions that controlled governments. “Believe this way or burn.”

The United States became the most prosperous country in the history of humanity because of its emphasis upon individual virtue. Our Constitution rejects the notion of government control by use of religion. It is based upon the premise of individual liberty, but founded upon the understanding that people’s evil impulses must be restrained by their own morality and religion – Judeo-Christian morality and religion. That is why John Adams proclaimed that, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

It is no coincidence that the erosion of Judeo-Christianity’s influence on American society has been accompanied by the breakdown of families, the corrosion of our culture, rising crime – and corresponding calls for ever-larger government, with its insatiable demand for taxes, inevitable corruption, skyrocketing debt and hopeless incompetence.

There are important lessons here. Christ’s church will prevail, not because of earthly power or political control, but because of the love for Christ that can be stirred in individual human hearts. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and all who seek Him humbly will find Him. We are Christ’s Church.

Am I saying that the pope is not important? No. He is the successor to Peter, whom Christ appointed to lead His Church. The pope can – and should – manifest Christ’s love, instruct on God’s laws for humanity and lead people to Him. But a weak or venal pope can lead people astray or cause them to fall away. So yes – I will pray for a pope who is a godly leader. But I will also trust in Christ’s promise that His Church will not be destroyed. And that means that we must, each of us, take up our own crosses and follow Him. We must seek the Truth and speak it, whether the pope does or not.

Salvation is not to be found in politics – or popes.