If I Were Pope
for the Day
March 19, 2007
 If
I were Pope for the day ...
... I would insist all Bishops and
Cardinals leave their separate
residences and live with their
priests in their local community.
The title bishop should not exalt
the ordained but humble them,
reminding them that they are
shepherds called more to serve their
flock, and less to dominate it.
If I
were Pope for the day ...
... I would challenge all pastors to
rediscover the wonder and mystery of
the Eucharist. If they believe in
their hearts that bread and wine is
transformed into the true divine
presence during the consecration, it
should show in their faces at Mass.
It should be revealed in their eyes
as they distribute communion. Each
priest should hunger to spread this
belief.
If I were Pope for the day ...
... I would issue a proclamation to
the faithful stating each person
should be less interested in
reforming the social injustices of
the Church and more interested in
reforming their own lives. If the
time spent chanting about priests
being free to marry and women being
ordained were spent on helping the
poor, forgiving a foe, or loving a
neighbor the injustices would
eventually right themselves.
If I were Pope for the day ...
... I would remind my faithful -
especially teachers, parents and
priests - that love relationships
are like bank accounts. Affirmations
are the deposits. Corrections and
criticisms are withdrawals.
Overdrafts carry penalties and bad
credit is hard to shake. Don't offer
a correction without making a few
deposits first.
If I were Pope for the day ...
... I would pose this question to
every woman ... "When does life
begin?" This is an unanswerable
question as no one has effectively
proven when life actually begins.
Then, I would beg women everywhere
not to make a "choice" that may be
ending a life. Give life the benefit
of the doubt. If you're into being
free to choose - choose not to get
pregnant.
If I were Pope for day ...
... I would ban the song One Bread,
One Body from ever being sung in a
Catholic Church. It gives overkill a
new meaning.
If I were Pope for the day ...
... I would ban choir robes for they
give liturgical importance to
servants and divide the worshipping
community.
If I were Pope for the day ...
... I would ask the head of the
Church of England what she has in
that pocketbook.
If I were Pope for the day ...
... I would require religious
leaders (priests, pastors, bishops)
to devote two to four weeks a year
for a personal retreat - not a
vacation - but a retreat
specifically designed for
reflection, devotion and spiritual
growth. How can the leaders expect
to be able to feed the flock when
they themselves are starving?
If I were Pope for the day ...
... I would tell my priests and
pastors that the most rampant sin of
the priesthood is leading a dead
faith community. I would also add
that no excuses for having a dead
faith community are necessary
because none will be accepted.
Administrative tasks should never
supersede spiritual leading. A
pastor's job is to breath the life
of the spirit into his community and
that life should be felt by all who
enter. This is the core of the
vocation - to love as Christ loved.
To live according to Christ's
teaching. Priest and Pastors should
be striving to capture that essence
of Christ and bring it to their
people... always .. every day ...
without tiring. Neglecting to do
this is sinful and provides a ripple
effect off apathy that fractures and
weakens the Church.
If I were Pope for the day ...
... I would spend at least half the
day in jeans and a sweatshirt in a
poor neighborhood listening to the
mothers, the elderly, the children,
the marginalized and powerless. I
would pray with them and for them.
And I would beg them to pray for me.
If I were Pope for the day ...
... I would guide the Church to
spend some money on a worldwide
marketing campaign that encourages
praying the rosary, complimented by
free rosaries, pamphlets of
instruction and video commercials
featuring testimony by those who
have experienced great change in
their lives for having prayed the
rosary.
If I were Pope for the day ...
... I would warn all priests and
bishops that Ecclesiastical ambition
is sinful and lines the roadbed to
hell. Reject the desire for title,
power and recognition. Transform it
into the desire to know yourself and
give yourself to others by serving
them. Christ rejected titles and the
ones who sought power and control
were the very ones who organized his
crucifixion.
If I were Pope for the day ...
...I would make a new rule that
requires all priests and bishops
share a meal at the table of a poor
family in their community once a
week. What does one learn by dining
with the rich? Since I believe few
clergy would take this rule
seriously, I would require a written
postcard from each priest be sent to
his bishop weekly. I would command
the bishops to display the cards
with his own somewhere prominent in
the diocese or community where the
faithful can read them and learn
from them.
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