Like the rest of the world's 1.2
billion Catholics, including the 5,100 bishops and 412,000 priests, the
pope exercises what the Catechism of the Catholic Church calls his
"baptismal priesthood" by participating in "Christ's mission as priest,
prophet and king."
The bishop of Rome exercises his ministry in a unique way, of course, as
pastor of the universal church. In practically everything he does, he
has special responsibility for preserving and building unity among
members of the largest, most widespread and ethnically diverse
organization on earth. That responsibility is crucial to defining the
particular challenges that await the man whom 115 cardinal electors will
choose in the conclave starting March 12.
Priest...
In his almost eight-year pontificate, Pope Benedict XVI worked to
emphasize the liturgy's continuity with the church's millennial
traditions. He encouraged a revival of eucharistic adoration and the use
of Gregorian chant. Most significantly, he lifted almost all
restrictions on celebration of the Tridentine Mass, which had fallen
practically out of use amid the modernizing reforms that followed the
Second Vatican Council.
At the same time, Pope Benedict condoned a kind of liturgical pluralism
within the church, and even contributed to it by establishing personal
ordinariates for former Anglicans, making it possible for Catholic
communities around the world to worship in a form influenced by the
16th-century Protestant reformation.
The next pope will be taking the helm of a church with ever more various
forms of worship. Like his predecessor, he must be sensitive to the
needs of Catholics devoted to the revived Tridentine liturgy, but also
to those who practice charismatic faith healing and speaking in tongues.
He must help preserve the ancient rites of the Eastern Catholic
churches while setting a reverent example for the vast majority of the
faithful who attend Mass in the form established under Pope Paul VI.
In carrying out this aspect of his mission, the new pope may draw
particular inspiration from the two men who preceded him. In the spirit
of Pope Benedict's avowed hope that the older and newer liturgies might
enrich each other, he may encourage a synthesis of various forms of
worship embraced by his global flock. In practical terms, he may follow
the example of Blessed John Paul II by incorporating elements of the
church's liturgical diversity into papal Masses, especially during
international gatherings such as World Youth Day.
Prophet...
Pope Benedict made it a major project of his pontificate to shape the
church's understanding of Vatican II, emphasizing that the council's
doctrines did not represent a radical break with the past but followed
in continuity with tradition.
The next pope may decide that this magisterial task has been largely
accomplished, but he is almost certain to maintain Pope Benedict's
emphasis on the new evangelization, the effort to revive the faith in
increasingly secular societies.
How he pursues this effort may depend on where he comes from. A European
or American -- whether from the North or the South -- may continue to
highlight the erosion of Christian culture in its former bastions. A
pope from Asia or Africa may give relatively great emphasis to the
church's rapid growth on those continents, while frankly acknowledging
tensions with non-Christian communities, particularly Islam.
Defense of religious freedom is bound to be another priority for the
next pope, who will certainly continue to draw attention to religiously
inspired violence and legal restrictions on worship and evangelization
around the world. A European or American is also likely to highlight
problems increasingly common in developed countries, such as threats to
the right of conscientious objection in fields such as medical care and
social services.
King...
The most obvious challenge that the next pope will face in regard to
governance is the one closest to home: the need for reform of the Roman
Curia, the church's central administration.
In their preparatory meetings over the week prior to the papal election,
the cardinals discussed the corruption and mismanagement sensationally
documented in the 2012 "VatiLeaks" release of confidential
correspondence to the Italian press. Serious reform would almost
certainly require national diversification of the Italian-dominated
curia, a job that some observers think an Italian pope would be best
positioned to accomplish, given the will to do so.
On a global level, no issue of governance is more urgent than that of
clergy sexual abuse. A zero-tolerance policy, leading to the exclusion
of child abusers from any public ministry, is now in principle the
universal norm of the church. However, the application of that norm
remains highly inconsistent at the local level.
Financial governance at the Vatican has been the object of heightened
media attention in recent years, and the next pope will presumably
follow up on Pope Benedict's moves to make the Vatican bank's activities
more transparent and in conformity with international norms.
In the coming years, the church's management of money and property
around the world is bound to come under ever greater scrutiny from
governments, media and Catholic laity. In order to prevent scandals that
could undermine the church's credibility, especially in its
pronouncements on matters of economic justice, the next pope may have to
call on local churches to develop more rigorous and uniform policies on
their own financial activities.