With the death of Pope Francis, and the upcoming conclave to elect the next Pope, all eyes are on Rome. This will be the fifth papal conclave in my memory. I remember the election of John Paul I and his unexpected death just a month later. In October 1978, the world was introduced to Karol Wojtyła, archbishop of Krakow, Poland as John Paul II. He served as Pope until his death in 2005 and is now revered as St. John Paul II the Great. He is widely remembered as one of the most influential Christian leaders of the twentieth century.
Why does the Pope matter to Protestants and Pentecostals? During the interregnum between the death of a Pope and the election of a new Pope the world watches and wonders. Many non-Catholic Christians take this as a time to dismiss the significance of the Bishop of Rome. Even so, whether we like it or not, the Bishop of Rome is profoundly important to all Christians.
First, the Pope is the spiritual leader to more than 1.4 billion believers throughout the world. Roughly half of all Christians worldwide are baptized Catholics. Compare that to the membership of the Church of God (Cleveland TN) with a world wide constituency of about 7 million.
Although there are many differences between the Catholic Church and the Pentecostal movement, there are many similarities. All orthodox believers in the world – Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Protestant, and Pentecostal – confess the ancient creeds – popularly known as the “catholic” creeds because they are the common confession of Christians of diverse traditions throughout the world.
The Pope is the most influential Christian leader in the world. No other Christian leader commands the status enjoyed by the Pope. When he stands with world leaders, he stands as their equal. The Vatican, as a sovereign state, has representation in the United Nations as a permanent observer.
Roman Catholics, with most Protestants and Pentecostals, share a common social ethic informed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. Since Pope Paul VI issued the encyclical letter Humanae Vitae in 1968, the Catholic Church has led the pro-life movement throughout the world. John Paul II published Theology of the Body which is an in depth treatment of the significance of human sexuality from a Christian perspective.
In our world, there are three primary audiences: the Christian world, the Western secular world, and the non-Christian world. Although Protestant and Pentecostal Christians reject the role of the Pope, non-Christians throughout the world view the Pope as the single voice of the Christian world. Like it or not, the Pope speaks for all of us to the secular and non-Christian worlds.
In my years as a local church pastor, I enjoyed the fellowship and dialogue with local Catholic priests. As a student of theology I have benefited from the work of Catholic theologians on the Trinity, Christology, and Pneumatology. Many remain committed to the theological tradition of the ancient church.
Please don’t respond to this post with all the reasons why we should distant ourselves from Rome. I am very aware of the theological conflicts. But I keep in mind the words of Paul: “no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3). I choose to fellowship with my brothers and sisters in Christ who continue to confess the historical faith.
So, as the cardinals gather to choose the next Pope, hopefully with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I pray for a Pope who can continue to maintain fidelity to the faith as he faces a multitude of challenges in our world. I pray that his will be a voice that reflects the gospel of Christ. I pray that Protestants and Pentecostals will greet the new Pope with the kiss of peace.
