Not without trimming a bit here. Reshaping a bit there. Not without ignoring a part still hanging outside and paying no attention to wasted, dead-air space inside.
Roman Catholicism just doesn’t fit without changing it – or claiming it has changed – to make it fit.
And we Americans want it to fit. Oh, how we want that. Why? Well, because – what are you, a little bit slow? – then it would be American. And that, always, has to be better than any alternative.
None of this means I am anti-American. I love my country. I love the freedom and opportunities it offers. I believe it is the best country in the world. But…
But my Church is not American. It is universal. It is catholic, with a lower-case “c.”
So when American pundits try to equate the final months of the Clinton administration with the waning years of the reign of Pope John Paul II, I just have to smile.
It ain’t gonna fit, folks.
It seems so many media commentators would be so much happier with the Church if only the pontificate, like the U.S. presidency and a gallon of milk, had an expiration date. “Thank you so much, Ba-bye now. Next.”
They want a lame-duck pope.
They aren’t going to get one.
It has to be frustrating for those who attempt to repackage the Church. That constant effort is one reason (among many) that the Church is sharply criticized. Or, perhaps more accurately, it’s one excuse people use for sharply criticizing the Church.
If democracy is best and the Church is not democratic, therefore, well, it needs to be Americanized. And it wouldn’t be that hard! Every Catholic gets a vote, every bishop becomes a member of Congress, every cardinal can be a senator and the pope can be president. What could be fairer?
And, the critics argue, wasn’t Jesus all about fairness? Isn’t the Catholic Church supposed to be about Jesus? Doesn’t the historical stain of Western European politics still taint it?
Except, of course, there’s what Jesus really did. And there is the working of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus didn’t ask everyone to become his apostle. Yes, he invited all to be disciples – followers – but to some he said, “Come with me,” and to others, “Go home and do God’s will there.”
God’s will.
The pope is the temporal leader of the Church on earth. Could he resign? Sure. It’s been done in the past, although not since the Middle Ages. Should he resign? That’s up to JP II and the Holy Spirit, not a predetermined term of office established by law.
The Holy Spirit blows where he will. The Spirit, despite the stupidity and the sins we followers of Christ have committed since the very beginning of the Church, continues to lead the Church here on earth.
And that’s simply un-American.
Too big to fit it any box.
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Bill Dodds’ latest books are Your One-Stop Guide to How Saints Are Made and Your One-Stop Guide to the Mass (Servant Publications); and 1440 Reasons to Quit Smoking: One for Every Minute of the Day and What You Don't Know About Retirement: A Funny Retirement Quiz (Meadowbrook Press). His website is http://www.BillDodds.com. You can email him at BillDodds@BillDodds.com.
