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| Photo: Vatican Pool |
The Catholic Church and Catholics in general like to refer to those who occupy the post of pope by various titles, pontiff being one of them, which is just an early Christian word for that other title, bishop. And the holder of the post is also known as the Bishop of Rome and perhaps more importantly referred to as Christ’s Vicar on Earth, denoting that he is Jesus’ Aide-de-Camp, the man who looks after all the tasks required by a god and that he has the hotline to heaven, so to speak. The various titles confer an air of religiosity, spirituality and of course divine authority.
Nothing could be further from the truth, and the conclave period we are now in gives us all the evidence we need, that not even heads of the Catholic Church really truly believe any of this nonsense. Bergoglio, a.k.a. Francis I, barely had time for his corpse to go cold and cardinals around the world began to jockey for position, though according to reports some were already moving and shaking some months before, given his poor and declining health. Were the holder of the post actually the appointee of some god or other then it would be a much more lofty affair devoid of politics. The anointed one would be chosen from amongst the cardinals by divine inspiration or, as the Catholic Church likes to claim for various saints and individuals declared to be blessed, the Holy Spirit would move them. But it is actually a very political affair with all the grace of a boardroom coup with cut throat executives out to make a killing.
It is not some magical ghost sent by the invisible man in the sky that moves them or decides their course. The debate is about whether a more progressive pope, along similar lines to the limited and overstated progressiveness of Bergoglio, will help stop the decline of the Catholic Church in its traditional heartlands or whether a return to the extreme right-wing orthodoxy of the Ratzinger a.k.a. Benedict XVI or Wojtyla a.k.a. John Paul II period will arrest the declining numbers and the indisputable decline in social influence. These are the same calculations the board of a company make. The more reactionary cardinals like Raymond Burke in the US might seem like they are sticking to their guns, their faith and dogma, but they are not. Just like Elon Musk they are not capable of seeing how tying their colours to a more reactionary mast will damage their brand and sales. Burke is of course a MAGA fan. There are no major theological differences, despite some of the hype around Bergoglio on gays. He did not actually contradict Genesis 18:22 at any stage, his line was to condemn the sin i.e. gay sex, but not the sinner i.e. gay men and only gay men, lesbians don’t get a look-in, in the biblical passage.
Another reactionary cardinal, Gerhard Müller from Germany has weighed in on the discussions before the conclave has formally begun. He is a particularly despicable character who headed up the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, previously known as the Holy Inquisition. He rejected criticism of their handling of child sexual abuse and compared such criticism to a pogrom stating “An artificially created fury is growing here which sometimes reminds one of a pogrom sentiment.”[1] He has stated, or perhaps threatened that unless conservatives like him get their way, there may be a schism in the Catholic Church. Playing to crowd he stated:
the question is not between conservatives and liberals but between orthodoxy and heresy… I am praying that the Holy Spirit will illuminate the cardinals, because a heretic pope who changes every day depending on what the mass media is saying would be catastrophic.[2]
Of course Bergoglio didn’t play to the media - what he means is he doesn’t want a pope that listens to anyone other than people like himself. For all his so-called progressive credentials Bergoglio was run of the mill on most matters, though he did stand out on Palestine, more so than any of his predecessors or the likes of Müller and Burke who would prefer a MAGA like pope who would back Israel.
It is not unfair to talk about this as a political matter. Politics have played a role in the past. The arch reactionary Wojtyla was chosen for his commitment to counter what was seen not only as a spread of socialist ideas around the world but also to counter years of Liberation Theology in Latin America. To be clear Bergoglio wasn’t in favour of Liberation Theology either, his was a standard Catholic position on poverty. Liberation Theology was about overthrowing capitalism, with some priests such as Camilo Torres and Manuel Martínez joining the ELN in Colombia and lots of others taking part in the Sandinista revolution in Nicaragua, to name just two countries. Wojtyla, who was very ‘orthodox’ played a key role in pushing back against progressive members in Latin America. He infamously wagged his figure at Sandinista Minister for Culture, Ernesto Cardenal, poet and revolutionary, chastising him for getting involved in politics whilst at the same time encouraging priests to actively oppose the Stalinist regimes of Eastern Europe and agitate against any government that was not pro-western, whilst he supped with people like Pinochet and other criminals, who he only mildly rebuked.
He infamously effectively signed Archbishop Romero’s death warrant. Romero had sought an audience with him, but was refused and so in May 1979 Romero door stepped him in St Peter’s Square asking him to look at a report on human rights abuses in El Salvador. He not so politely told Romero to get lost, claiming he was exaggerating and that he should work with the authorities in El Salvador, not against them. Ten months later, Romero was murdered whilst celebrating mass. Years later similar forces in Guatemala murdered Monsignor Gerardi following the publication of his report on state violence in that country. Though Wojtyla described that particular murder as an execrable crime, it was Bergoglio who declared him a martyr and also canonised Romero, not Wojtyla. Politics reigned supreme, the extreme right wing Polish pope had no truck with the likes of Romero or Gerardi and even today in Guatemala, the Church authorities do not look favourably upon him and did not mark the 25th anniversary of his murder in 2023.[3]
The Catholic Church is all about politics and whilst Bergoglio was a more jovial, more humble figure than his predecessors, he was also about politics. Despite anger at the San Patricio Massacre in which three Pallotine priests and two seminarians were murdered by the military Junta in Argentina, the Catholic Church continued to do business with them and Bergoglio himself was accused of not doing enough to protect priests who were being targeted by the military. He was a politician and though some would like to say he won the hearts of people, so did Wojtyla who following his death in 2005 began a rapid course for sainthood following calls made after his death for an immediate canonisation. Like Bergoglio he was mourned and praised as a charismatic pope. These are, in the grand scheme of things, minor matters in what is a reactionary institution.
A new pope will be chosen, and they will not be choosing a representative of a god but rather a CEO and a politician to lead them going forward. Despite Müller’s talk of a celestial being illuminating them, it will be the cut and thrust of politics, money, ambition and all the other elements that come into play when a company names a new CEO or a party names a new leader. I am sure there are many sincere Catholics who genuinely believe they are choosing the new Vicar of Christ on Earth, but the problem is none of the 135 cardinals who will make that decision take that rubbish seriously as evidenced by statements from Müller and Burke and the actual process itself.
This could and should be said of all religions, but the Catholic Church is unique in having a supreme leader who is, once chosen, an infallible representative of their god. Whilst other churches and religions have leaders, none of them wield the power of a pope and none of them have diplomatic status either. This is not a spiritual spectacle but a grubby power grabbing one.
References
It is not unfair to talk about this as a political matter. Politics have played a role in the past. The arch reactionary Wojtyla was chosen for his commitment to counter what was seen not only as a spread of socialist ideas around the world but also to counter years of Liberation Theology in Latin America. To be clear Bergoglio wasn’t in favour of Liberation Theology either, his was a standard Catholic position on poverty. Liberation Theology was about overthrowing capitalism, with some priests such as Camilo Torres and Manuel Martínez joining the ELN in Colombia and lots of others taking part in the Sandinista revolution in Nicaragua, to name just two countries. Wojtyla, who was very ‘orthodox’ played a key role in pushing back against progressive members in Latin America. He infamously wagged his figure at Sandinista Minister for Culture, Ernesto Cardenal, poet and revolutionary, chastising him for getting involved in politics whilst at the same time encouraging priests to actively oppose the Stalinist regimes of Eastern Europe and agitate against any government that was not pro-western, whilst he supped with people like Pinochet and other criminals, who he only mildly rebuked.
He infamously effectively signed Archbishop Romero’s death warrant. Romero had sought an audience with him, but was refused and so in May 1979 Romero door stepped him in St Peter’s Square asking him to look at a report on human rights abuses in El Salvador. He not so politely told Romero to get lost, claiming he was exaggerating and that he should work with the authorities in El Salvador, not against them. Ten months later, Romero was murdered whilst celebrating mass. Years later similar forces in Guatemala murdered Monsignor Gerardi following the publication of his report on state violence in that country. Though Wojtyla described that particular murder as an execrable crime, it was Bergoglio who declared him a martyr and also canonised Romero, not Wojtyla. Politics reigned supreme, the extreme right wing Polish pope had no truck with the likes of Romero or Gerardi and even today in Guatemala, the Church authorities do not look favourably upon him and did not mark the 25th anniversary of his murder in 2023.[3]
The Catholic Church is all about politics and whilst Bergoglio was a more jovial, more humble figure than his predecessors, he was also about politics. Despite anger at the San Patricio Massacre in which three Pallotine priests and two seminarians were murdered by the military Junta in Argentina, the Catholic Church continued to do business with them and Bergoglio himself was accused of not doing enough to protect priests who were being targeted by the military. He was a politician and though some would like to say he won the hearts of people, so did Wojtyla who following his death in 2005 began a rapid course for sainthood following calls made after his death for an immediate canonisation. Like Bergoglio he was mourned and praised as a charismatic pope. These are, in the grand scheme of things, minor matters in what is a reactionary institution.
A new pope will be chosen, and they will not be choosing a representative of a god but rather a CEO and a politician to lead them going forward. Despite Müller’s talk of a celestial being illuminating them, it will be the cut and thrust of politics, money, ambition and all the other elements that come into play when a company names a new CEO or a party names a new leader. I am sure there are many sincere Catholics who genuinely believe they are choosing the new Vicar of Christ on Earth, but the problem is none of the 135 cardinals who will make that decision take that rubbish seriously as evidenced by statements from Müller and Burke and the actual process itself.
This could and should be said of all religions, but the Catholic Church is unique in having a supreme leader who is, once chosen, an infallible representative of their god. Whilst other churches and religions have leaders, none of them wield the power of a pope and none of them have diplomatic status either. This is not a spiritual spectacle but a grubby power grabbing one.
References
[1] Der Spiegel (04/02/2013) Top Vatican Cleric Criticized for ‘Pogrom’ Remark.
[2] The Catholic Herald (24/04/2025) Cardinal Müller warns Church risks split if ‘orthodox’ pope not chosen.
[3] La Croix International (25/04/2023) Battle to preserve the memory of Guatemala’s “martyr for justice and peace”.
⏩ Gearóid Ó Loingsigh is a political and human rights activist with extensive experience in Latin America.
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