It'll be never-ending

The late Pope Francis

I'm talking about the palaver surrounding the death of Pope Francis.  It's front-page, worldwide news and will continue until he is put in the ground and a replacement chosen.  There are 1.5 billion Catholics in the world and they all contribute money to the Church, so the coverage will never stop.  At a minimum, the Catholic Church is worth about $73 billion, but estimates are it has many more stashed away here and there.

Of course, the Catholic Church is not a patch on the Mormons (LDS).  That bunch has an estimated $265 billion in its coffers!  $265 billion for 17 million members.  That's what disciplined and rigorous tithing'll get you.  (I've done a number of blogs on the Mormons; have a read of a couple.)

Remember when John Paul died?  Ya, that was another weeks-long media ennui of garment rending.  Don't get me wrong, I am a Catholic, but I have always kind of ignored the Pope and the Vatican.  I was, however, a very busy volunteer at our local parish, Our Lady of Fatima, where I was chair of the pastoral council and B served as chair of the temporal (financial) council for many years.  

I was also the coordinator of the eucharistic ministers and assigned them Masses every week.  Then there was my work taking communion to Catholics in the Civic Hospital every Sunday morning before Mass for years.  In addition to all that, I took home, hand-washed and ironed all the sacristy linens after each Mass.  So, I had credibility because I was a world-class sinner in some respects, which meant I could relate to anyone.

So, I was a very involved member of the Catholic community, doing what Francis said we should all be doing -- helping our fellow man in service.  Funny thing, however, I did not see a lot of homeless and suffering people living and being looked after in Francis's many palaces.  Somehow, when you're elected Pope, you get caught up in the trappings of the gold-encrusted Vatican and its vicious politics.  Your street ministry takes a back seat -- except for the money part.

So, I'm looking forward to the election of a new Pope, so we can all get back to "normal".