By Carol Lucas
Whether you are an avid reader of my columns or simply an occasional one, at some point you have probably gleaned my stance on organized religion. This is, of course, a very personal thing, and I have never felt obliged to flaunt my feelings on the subject. In the cases where I alluded to such, it was to call to attention to what I perceived as hypocrisy in a specific situation.
Furthermore, I always tried to make it clear that I am very fortunate to know those Christians who don’t just talk the talk but walk the walk, in every sense of the word. They are truly devoted to their religion, and all that entails. For them I have the utmost respect.
Catholicism has its own burden to bear with all of the ugliness revealed about molestation and the consequent cover-ups. The light was finally shone upon what was an horrific, ugly chapter for the church at large. How many lives were impacted will probably never be known.
I am 180 degrees removed from the church’s position on abortion and what was, at one time, the admonishment for using birth control. With a history minor under my belt, I remember reading about early Catholicism and coming to the conclusion that the dominance over women was the front and center of this church.
But all that is simply a disclaimer for what I am about to address, the naming of the new pope after the death of Argentinian Pope Francis, and the delight I felt as I watched this unfold.
As someone who considers herself strictly a spiritualist that has been unable to connect with organized religion, I found myself watching most of the pomp and circumstance with bated breath.
I listened intently to the names being tossed around in conjecture, and found I was fascinated by such varied backgrounds. And when I heard the name Robert Prevost, American, that certainly caught my attention. A possible American pope! A first!
We all waited for the smoke as the first vote was taken, and when it was black, we knew those 89 cardinals — the most ever — had to go back to the drawing board, so to speak, to reach a two-thirds majority.
How long would it be? Historically, the papal election considered the longest in Catholic Church history lasted from November, 1268 until September, 1271. This was due primarily to political infighting among the cardinals. Finally a committee of six cardinals was appointed by the other 10 to elect Pope Gregory X.
Fortunately, things today went a bit more smoothly the second round, and we were treated to the white smoke as the thousands gathered outside of the Sistine Chapel in Rome burst into loud, prolonged cheers. Then the wait continued.
Finally the curtains parted and Robert Prevost stepped forward, the 267th pope; the first American pope. Who was he?
We would soon know as the Internet, as well as the television, was flooded with information. I have chosen just a few clips that seem to describe the person who now leads the Catholic Church across the world.
A Chicago math teacher who was accepted to Harvard; he turned down that opportunity to earn six figures, joined a missionary group and moved to the most remote villages of Peru where children were dying of treatable diseases; he slept on dirt floors, and prayed under the stars.
His legend grew in the Andes, the man who became “one of them;” eventually the Vatican became aware, and he was called back to lead his entire Augustinian order. From serving a village to overseeing 2,800 brothers in more than 40 countries. Still he kept the same sandals he used to tread the mountains.
He was elevated to the station of Bishop, and as such, spearheaded the production of life-saving oxygen plants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eventually he became a Cardinal, one step removed from the Pope.
There is so much more to be said about this true man of God. Sadly, space is prohibited in this column. Perhaps it is best summed up by one observer who said, “He turned down the world. And changed it instead.”
In choosing his papal name, Robert chose “Leo” which has significant commitment to social issues, according to experts. The first pontiff to use the name Leo, whose papacy ended in 461, met Attila the Hun and persuaded him not to attack Rome.
Of course, those who see him as “woke” had to toss out their disdain online. That lurker in the White House, Laura Loomer, posted: “Catholics don’t have anything good to look forward to; just another Marxist puppet in the Vatican; he is anti-Trump, anti-MAGA, pro-open borders, and a total Marxist, just like Pope Francis.”
Ah, Laura, he is all that we who crave peace and tranquility could have ever hoped for in the midst of what you and your kind have wrought. To be just like Pope Francis is a true compliment, regardless of your intention.
So it was, with some trembling and great joy, that this spiritualist dropped her head momentarily, as Pope Leo XIV stepped forth and thanked the God she so strongly believes in. There was, and is, reason to be jubilant, to have hope.
Carol Lucas is a retired high school teacher and a Lady’s Island resident. She is the author of the recently published “A Breath Away: One Woman’s Journey Through Widowhood.”
