Why a New Pope Matters (Even to Methodists)

In case you missed it, last week the cardinals of the Roman Catholic church gathered in Vatican City to select a new pope. I (Pastor John) don’t know about you, but I found myself oddly clued in to the latest reports of what kind of smoke was coming out of the chapel chimney, and of course I spent the noon hour last Thursday as did much of the world, awaiting the big announcement.

As someone who has an interest in church history and religion, I find that conclaves are a fascinating thing to observe, as the process has remained largely unchanged for centuries. (Side note: If you haven’t seen the movie Conclave, I highly recommend it as it’s an intensely fascinating look at what might go on behind the closed doors of the Sistine Chapel.)

But as historically relevant and interesting as any conclave is, I don’t think anyone was really prepared for the shocking announcement of a pope who grew up on the South side of Chicago. Robert Francis Prévost, a man who spent much of his adult life serving as a Catholic missionary in a relatively obscure part of Peru, was introduced as Pope Leo XIV and subsequently embraced in the U.S. as the “first American Pope.”

But other than being a brief newsworthy distraction or a future answer to a college final in a World Religion class, should the existence of a new pope really matter to us Methodist Christians? We aren’t Catholic; in fact, we have some substantial and honest theological and ecclesiastical differences with the Roman Catholic church on issues such as scriptural authority, the sacraments, grace, the Virgin Mary, priestly celibacy...and that’s just a few of the highlights! Should we care about this, and if so, why?

Three Reasons Why It Matters

As I’ve reflected on this question, I think the answer is yes for three reasons.

1. The Pope’s Influence Is Vast

The first reason is pretty straightforward: the pope has an incredible impact on the spiritual formation and discipleship of millions of people. Current estimates place the global Roman Catholic population between 1.28 and 1.41 billion—roughly one out of every six people on the planet. Chances are, each of us knows someone who identifies as Catholic; for instance, my sister and her husband converted several years ago. Given the pope’s influence on so many of God’s children, his leadership truly matters.

2. The Moment Creates Conversations

The second reason is more pragmatic: I believe that having a new “American Pope” is going to provide a huge opportunity for conversations about faith that we might not otherwise have. The media has covered Pope Leo extensively in the past week, and although I’m sure this will taper off as time goes by, the pope always has a way of making news in the world as he engages the typical papal role of a spiritual and moral authority. People pay attention to the pope in ways they don’t to other spiritual leaders. I suspect that we’ll hear a lot about Pope Leo in the years ahead, and these occasions will likely open up opportunities for us to discuss matters of faith with friends, family members, coworkers, and others. As believers called to share Jesus in any way we can, we need to be intentionally open to the Spirit’s work in others’ lives so that we can join in it.

3. The Church Needs Each Other

Lastly, I believe a new pope matters because the health of the Catholic Church has real implications for the global mission of Christianity. Methodists can’t do all the church’s Kingdom work alone. Though we may not always agree on theological issues, Christians around the world need to work together wherever we can to obey the clear teachings of Jesus. Every denomination has strengths and weaknesses, and one of the strengths of the Catholic church is a heart for work with the poor and marginalized around the globe. This is admirable and should be supported however we can. It seems thus far that Pope Leo has a strong interest in serving “the least of these,” as demonstrated in his own decades of missionary service, and this kind of emphasis should be celebrated and even joined in whenever possible.

How We Can Respond

Going forward, my challenge to each of you is this:

• Pray for Pope Leo and the Roman Catholic Church. Ask that God would guide and direct him to lead in ways that honor and please Him.

• Look for opportunities to talk about faith. The media attention surrounding Pope Leo may open unexpected doors. You don’t need perfect words—just a willingness to share how God’s love has shaped your life.

• Be open to learning and collaborating. God may use Pope Leo and the Catholic Church to teach us something new or invite us into shared work for His Kingdom. God works through all kinds of disciples, and unity is a powerful witness to the world.

  
  

These actions may seem simple, but they move us toward the kind of unity Jesus longed for when He prayed in John 17:

“I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”