We don鈥檛 have a pope. I am a Lutheran. And if you know anything of the history听of Martin Luther and the time of the reformation, you鈥檒l know there was no love lost between him and the pope of his day.
Name-calling and references to bodily functions were all too common from Luther鈥檚 side, and excommunication and threat of death were the not-too-measured responses from Rome.
Despite Luther鈥檚 harsh criticism of the Roman Church of the time, his hope from the beginning was the reform of his church and not the dividing of Christianity into the many sects that we have today.
But that is history. And what we now have are many expressions of Christianity, sometimes identified as Roman Catholic and Protestant 鈥� note that root word is 鈥減rotest鈥� 鈥� sometimes further divided into 鈥渞eformed鈥� and (more common today) 鈥渆vangelical.鈥� Those who try to identify the number of Christian denominations or groups can鈥檛 keep up.
So as part of that 鈥減rotest鈥� group, alongside the whole eastern expression of Christianity, which has another rich story of its own, we don鈥檛 have a pope, even though many within these ranks may still identify the Pope of Rome as a spiritual leader for them, too.
As the cardinals begin the process of electing a new pope, my Roman Catholic sisters and brothers, along with many in the world, watch with keen interest to see who will emerge as the new spiritual leader of the largest Christian denomination in the world.
I am watching, too. And I have to admit I do so with a certain hope and prayer that whoever it is, he will look on the whole diverse family of Christians as children of the same God and followers of the same Christ.
And while there are significant differences in beliefs and practices to be taken seriously as well as celebrated, we need to acknowledge that we have much in common, and there is more we can do and be, together, for the sake of a better world.
And it doesn鈥檛 stop with other Christians. My hope and prayer is that the new pope also sees this vast world of diverse peoples of many faiths and spiritualities as sisters and brothers.
I pray he鈥檒l remember that even with profound differences in beliefs and practices, we share a common humanity. And at our best, we share a vital concern for the planet we inhabit together, and hope for a more compassionate world for the sake of all, including those who come after us.
My hopes don鈥檛 arise out of a criticism of previous popes. (As someone who is not Roman Catholic, I have no right to criticize or expect anything.) My hopes and prayers for the new pope are an indication to me of the significance of the pope鈥檚 place and role in this world, and the potential of this great spiritual leader to foster unity and peace for the good of all.
Even as a Lutheran, that鈥檚 my hope and prayer for our new pope.
Lyle McKenzie is pastor of Lutheran Church of the Cross of Saanich and part-time chaplain in Multifaith Services at the University of Victoria.
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This post was first published in the column of the sa国际传媒 on Saturday, March 9.听
You can read more articles from the multi-faith blog, Spiritually Speaking
