The Lions are at the Gate

Smoke signals aren’t reserved for our Native American population. And the signals are not always black and white.

You can’t turn to a news broadcast without viewing an image of either the Colosseum or Vatican City. Seemingly quite ironic considering that one is representative of a society that chose to feed Christians to the lions and the other claims to nourish Christians in a world dominated by lions still aching to feed on them. Maybe we should question where and who the lions really are?

In the eyes of the world right now, the question is “who will be the next Pope?” not who the lions are. It’s easier to look for a lion tamer than the den of the lions. But maybe they’re one in the same. Let’s leave that for future consideration.

The visuals of Rome are bombarding us because of the mystery that surrounds the choosing of a new Pope. This time though, it’s far more political than any could have ever believed. The new Pope will be more diplomat than preacher, and certainly more hunter than fisherman.

Here’s my “pontification” on the upcoming selection of a replacement for Pope Benedict: The new Pope will be either Angelo Scola or Gianfranco Ravasi. Both are Italian and both conservative. The “conservative” part has nothing to do with it, the nationality though, is pertinent. And not just the nationality, they’re both European, the Catholic Church needs a European Pope. 

The economic crisis that engulfs the European community, the strife caused by in fighting amongst its members, these are symptoms of a society that suffers from spiritual loss. 

The lions can smell that loss of spirituality, and it’s not in the smoke.