I’ve been watching the coverage of the Papal Conclave. I find it amazing that the whole world is watching in anticipation. When the Church of God convenes in General Assembly, it’s not worthy of national coverage on CNN or FOX. The same can be said of other Pentecostal or Protestant churches. It seems that no one cares when Protestants elect a leader.
Five hundred years after the Reformation, the selection of a new Pope still matters to the world. And, whether we like it or not, it matters to Protestants and Pentecostals.
The Pope is the face of the Christian church throughout the world. Who can forget the smile of Pope John Paul II as hundreds of thousands of young people listened to his call to Christ at the annual World Youth Day celebrations? Only the Pope has the status of a world leader, with diplomatic embassies established in many of the nations of the world. The diplomatic status of the Pope’s office means that he has the ear of world leaders and can influence world politics. The Pope is chief theologian of the church. Guided by the Scriptures, the Magisterium, and the Great Tradition, the Pope’s writings and sermons shape the teaching and ethics of Christians throughout the world. The writings of Benedict XVI will guide the faithful for decades, even centuries.
So, the whole world is watching. In a post-modern, post-Christian world, Christians throughout the world are faced with challenges, schisms, trials, persecutions, and even martyrdom. The Christian church – Catholic, Protestant, and Pentecostal – must rise to the challenges. We must love, respect, and pray for one another. We must love and pray for our enemies, those who oppose the Gospel. We must confess of our sins – moral failures, schisms, and heresies – that have injured the cause of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Maybe today, or tomorrow, a new Pope will emerge to offer his blessing. The world will be watching. The truth is that the world is always watching what Christians do and listening to what Christians say, and how we say it. Jesus prayed,
“The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me” (John 17:22-23).
When we get our act together, when our worship and mission is perfected in unity, then the world will see the face of Christ in all of us.
