Many Catholics hope that the new Pope will be neither conservative nor progressive

This blog has a clear liberal-conservative ideological profile, which is why the title of this article will surprise many.

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These days, many media outlets are publishing predictions about who the new Pope might be, or rather, what he should be like. Honestly, these predictions tire me out, especially when I read statements that the new Pope should be conservative or progressive, as if the Catholic Church were a political party or an organization dedicated to promoting a particular ideological cause.

I think I'm not mistaken when I say that many Catholics hope that the new Pope will be neither conservative nor progressive, because both labels correspond to the world of politics and not to that of religion, or at least not to that of Christianity. What many of us hope for is that the new Pope will do what is expected of a Catholic spiritual leader, whose mission is above the worldly realm of ideologies, although he may occasionally agree with them on some issues.

The Church doesn't need a right-wing or left-wing Pope. It needs a Catholic Pope, which may sound redundant, but given what some media outlets are reporting, it doesn't seem so. The Church received from Christ the mission to carry the universal message of salvation throughout the world, the news that Christ died on the cross to redeem us from sin and to open the gates of heaven, showing us the way to reach it. In its work to guide people to salvation, the Church is the custodian of a doctrine that each Pope must defend, but we are not talking about a political doctrine, but rather a message of goodness, truth, and hope for all humanity.

I understand that today, due to secularization, many people are unaware of the Church's doctrine beyond certain issues that often appear frequently in the media. Obviously, many journalists share this ignorance and it is reflected in the news we are seeing these days, which speaks of the Church as if it were something it is not.

I'm writing this hours before Pope Francis's funeral, and I'd like to take advantage of the attention the Church is receiving to challenge many non-Catholics who these days are swayed by information that distorts, in my opinion, what the Church really is. I encourage you to go to any parish and attend Mass. No one will ask you for an invitation or a membership card; they are open to everyone. I think you'll be in for some surprises, because at Mass (I go every week) you don't hear political rallies.

What you hear there is a personal challenge that calls you to be better, to be generous, to not think only of yourself, to ask for forgiveness and grant it when others wrong you, and to love others, even our enemies. I don't go to church because I'm looking for someone to convince me of the merits of an ideology. I already have plenty of media outlets, books, and websites for that.

What I seek in the Church is the path to salvation, because I believe that death is not the end and that after death God will ask me to account for what I have done in this life, and I know that there are many things I must repent of and improve on. What I expect from the new Pope, as from the previous ones, is that he reminds me of that and that he exercises his role as a transmitter of a message of goodness, of truth, of love, of charity, and of hope. We already have more than enough politicians, journalists, and opinion-makers to listen to political messages.

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Image: Grok.