I usually watch Melissa Harris-Perry and her eponymously named show on Saturday morning and today was no exception. One segment was about "Why should I care who the Pope is if I am not Catholic? I have to admit I wanted to hear her answer. She had written a letter to the Conclave giving her own answers to her question! I found it fascinating.
She said (the positive always hits first) that the Pontiff was the global reach of Catholicism with l.2 billion believers and it carried on the enduring work of the Church. She pointed out that the Catholic Church was a strong advocate of human rights and was the largest non-governmental provider in the US; that the church provided a conduit for justice.
Then she went to the negative: the Church needs to address contraception, does not need to be complicit in crimes involving the priests and children; needs to allow women in the priesthood and allow gays and lesbians full acceptance within its walls.
And she reiterated the need to choose a Pope who can move the church in new ways while holding fast to the things that it has done so well in seeking justice and meaning and honoring the best of what the faith offers
I enjoyed the program and I enjoyed thinking about the initial question.
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