What is Pope Francis to make of the fact that he was Time’s Man Of The Year for 2013? Such titles testify to the enduring power of the Roman Catholic Church, and the power of the papacy.

John Paul II invented the papacy we know today in the age of social media. As a Pole, he fought the great political battle of East vs. West when he took up the cause of Solidarnosc against Poland’s military junta. As an old man, he struggled publicly and painfully against old age and death.

Benedict XVI was a rare case of a predictable pope. He had a high profile in the church, and after his election, it didn’t seem at all surprising that he became pope, despite his not being Italian.

His resignation was certainly a surprise. After what John Paul II went through, one figured precedent had been established that a Pope doesn’t resign.

Benedict XVI was not one to neglect appearances and the trappings of the office. A pope can concern himself with such things out of concern for the office. John Paul II made the papacy a powerful, imposing, exalted position. For Benedict XVI to assume the papacy, he assumed its privileges, and the world knew that although John Paul II was no more, the papacy remained firmly in a place of power.

The man who is pope is made a public figure by the office, but the office cannot give the pope his character as a man. Benedict and Francis differ considerably in their aesthetics. Each is subordinate to the demands of the office, which places different demands on every pope, depending on the historical circumstances. Benedict did what he felt he needed to do to be an effective pope, in the cause of the office, taking what he needed from the office, and Francis does what he needs to do, as a man, within his abilities, for the cause of the office.

The pope has to discern the needs of the church that have emerged in his time, and discern the unique qualities he brings to the papacy that align with those needs.

The papacy nowadays doesn’t need to emphasize the power and majesty of the pope in the church and the world. That has been done. The papacy doesn’t need to be larger than life. Neither does the Church. The Church will do well instead to see itself as a constructive force in the world, that cares for all the world, and suffers with all the world, with hope for all the world, believing in the dignity of all the people of the world, all the children of God.

People are worried half to death over the economy, terrorism, crime, politics, global warming. Experts proliferate, warning us about the dangers of our food, our medicine, our technology. People go to church and wonder how our quaint Christian stories can possibly be true.

The Church has its vision, its rules, its law. Our congregations include people who need those things, who can’t live without those things, who agonize interminably over the fidelity of themselves, and everyone else, to the system.
The harassed and dejected don’t need threats and punishment, but understanding, solidarity, dignity, and encouragement that transcend our myriad cultural differences. We need a sense of balance, sensitivity, and proportion, a sense of non-judgmental humility, a sense that, on balance, God will be merciful, and that we are worthy of being defended and upheld by the Church.

Happy 2014, saints and sinners!