Viva Il Papa

[tw]

Originally Posted by Griff

... but if he can make the right wing nuts live by the rules they want everyone else to they can cut back on hypocrisy.

Unfortunately, he appears to be or will become more like one of them.

First the Italians consider him one of them. He speaks Italian without a foreign accent being that his family immigrated from Italy. Second, he is extremely old. Already has some health problems. A younger Pope might change and start instituting reforms. Third, at 76, he would not have energy, enthusiasm, or time to attack an entrenched and corrupt institution. Change is hard. Fourth, his beliefs coincide with the most conservatives. He is typically too old to want change. Fifth, he is mostly an outsider. Would not know where the ropes are to implement change.

Too few votes happened for a reformist movement to take hold. I have little reason to believe this pope is what the church desperately needed. The conclave chose what was safe. Powers that be saw nothing to cause them to rethink their entrenched positions. Reformers had too little time to unite in opposition.