Help Wanted: A New Pope, to replace the Old Pope

[FCD]

In an interesting development, the Vatican now seems to be eyeing Cardinal Robert Sarah as the next Pope.  Sarah is an interesting candidate for a whole variety of reasons.

Allow me to state up front that I am not one who practices in organized religion.  I am very much spiritual, but not in the way any organized religion chooses to represent God or barter on his behalf.

As noted, I find Sarah's candidacy both interesting and ironic at the same time.  Without any particular emphasis on any particular item, here are some examples...

- Sarah is openly conservative ideologically.  Contrary to Pope Francis.

- Sarah is anti-woke.  Contrary to Francis who was uber liberal

- Sarah is pro-life.  Contrary to Francis who urged the church to be more tolerant on issues like abortion.

- Sarah is anti-immigration.  Contrary to Francis who encouraged all immigration, including illegal immigration

- Sarah is gender binary.  Contrary to Francis who suggested the church should recognize all people regardless of gender identity.

- Sarah is a man of color.  Contrary to Francis.

Pretty much across the board, Sarah is everything Pope Francis was not.  About the only thing they have in common at large is they are both Catholic.  Beyond this, they almost couldn't be more opposite ideologically.

At face value, there are those who are suggesting Sarah is a 'DEI hire'.  However, in all actuality it was Francis (not Sarah) who was the most politically correct and liberal Catholic Pope in the history of the Papacy.  Ironically, it was Francis who is/was the more 'DEI' of the two.  If anything, Sarah would represent a return to more traditional values of the Catholic church, not a departure.  Oddly though, at the same time, it is Sarah who will likely be viewed as the bigger departure based on society's 15 second attention span, inability to read more than a headline, and probably more than anything else...the color of his skin.

I must admit, before I researched more about Cardinal Sarah, eveb nt my first glance knee-jerk reaction was that Sarah's possible candidacy was an agenda driven politically correct move by the church.  After learning more, my viewpoint has changed 180 degrees.  I don't endorse and/or object to Sarah's selection one way or the other really.  As a non-Catholic it's not my place.  But I do find it very interesting the almost paradox which has been created here, and I thought others might find this interesting to ponder as well.

In my heart of hearts, it seems high time that a person of color should ascend to the role of Pope, as the Pope should (at least in my humble opinion) represent all of mankind, not just a certain race.  This seems especially important if the Catholic church wishes to remain relevant to all races around the globe.  However, in the same breath, I find it difficult to believe that Sarah's promotion as a possible candidate, and specifically his racial background, didn't have at least some political agenda angle behind it within the elevated orders within the church.  In yet another element of the same breath, I also find it quite interesting that Sarah maybe not so coincidentally represents traditional conservative values while at the same time being a man of color.  I'm reasonably confident this thought was also not lost on the Vatican.

Interesting times to be sure!

edit - BTW, history seems to indicate that there may have been at least two, possibly three, Popes of color in history. Pope Victor the 1st (189-199 A.D.), Pope Miltiades (311-314 A.D.), and Pope Gelasius the 1st (492-496 A.D.)

[Michigan Swampbuck]

They need to select a pope named Peter, according to prophecy.

Saint Malachy's final prediction in full is: "In the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church there will reign Peter the Roman, who will feed his flock amid many tribulations, after which the seven-hilled city will be destroyed and the dreadful Judge will judge the people. The End.”

Francis is Peter, or Malachy miscalculated, and Peter is next. Of course, if God divinely inspired Malachy directly, then he couldn't be wrong, and if he is wrong, then he wasn't directly inspired. Perhaps, if not straight from God, there are errors even though they are divinely inspired by the "spirit" of God. Or it's religious BS that influenced previous picks.

ETA: Another consideration is that prophecies and predictions from people with a good batting average can become less accurate as they predict farther into the future regardless of where this ability comes form.

[Nugget]

It's my understanding that popes pick the name they wish to be called when elected so Sarah could choose the name Peter.

It seems like people are kicked back and forth between parties like fotballs every few years and now it's the conservatives turn to reign for a bit. Liberals bring us as close to the breaking point as they can without totally crushing us, then along come conservatives to give us hope for mre normalcy.

[NobodySpecial268]

On Saint  Malachy's prediction.

Saint Malachy's final prediction in full is: "In the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church there will reign Peter the Roman, who will feed his flock amid many tribulations, after which the seven-hilled city will be destroyed and the dreadful Judge will judge the people. The End.”

If one knew in advance that the name "Peter" was the name of the last pope, any sensible person would avoid the name "Peter" if they wanted to avoid the "end". Or they could choose the name intentionally.

Another point is the prediction seems to say that it is the end of the church, from memory the prediction does not state the end of mankind in general. It is the church that gets judged.


--------------------------------------------

ETA: Here is the verse in question:

In the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church, there will sit Peter the Roman, who will pasture his sheep in many tribulations, and when these things are finished, the city of seven hills [Rome] will be destroyed, and the dreadful judge will judge his people. The End.

Source: Veritas Vincit: The Last Pope? Revisiting the Prophecy of St. Malachy