Who Becomes Pope Matters to the Rest of Us
So why talk about Vatican II at a time when cardinals meet in Rome to choose a new pope? Because their choice matters to the rest of us. Oh, not the way news coverage often gives the impression: as though the pope of the Roman Catholic Church were the leader of all Christian church bodies. He is not. Rather because the leadership of any faith body impacts the way all religions do or do not interact respectfully and productively for the common good of the world.
Our family lived in inner city New Haven, Ct. during the 1960’s where “living room dialogs” between Protestants and Roman Catholics on how to put faith into action led to establishing Christian Community Action, which to this day provides help, housing and hope to those who are poor in New Haven.
Each October people walk for CROP (Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty), appreciating one another and the fact that we of many faiths can do much together to say “no” to the injustice of hunger. On Thanksgiving Eve people join together in Dubuque for an interfaith service. The offering supports PIN (People in Need).
Change is not without resistance, however. Forces of fear push back. We Lutherans speak not just about the Reformation but about being an ongoing reforming church, particularly toward justice and peace. And there are still promises of Vatican II to be realized. That historic three-year assembly (1962-1965) would change the way the Roman Catholic Church viewed themselves, their church and the rest of the world.
The restoration of unity among all Christians was one of the principal concerns of the Second Vatican Council. Pope John XXIII said that the unity of the Church was the compelling motive for his calling the Council.
We live in a time when people in the public sphere both watch and reject religious leaders. The role of clerical leadership in the community has been redefined. Today the greatest gift leaders–parish pastors, diaconal ministers, bishops–can bring is a sense of God’s calling to serve our neighbors, working together with leaders of other faith communities, non-profit organizations and the network of civic leadership.
More challenges call. For example, the new group, a “Culture of Nonviolence Coalition,” including people from a wide variety of Dubuque religious and community groups met for just the third time last Saturday, discerning which actions to take at the local, state and federal level to address our culture of violence.