Mexico City, May 6, 2025. Polarization, inequality, poverty, exploitation, anxiety, migration, ecological disaster, insecurity. Human rights, digitalization, new geopolitical realities. Solidarity, justice, peace, charity, respect for life. The list could go on and on. Today's world faces a host of challenges, tensions and opportunities. It is a multi-causal, complex, multifaceted reality, as difficult as it is exciting. This is the historical circumstance that the new Pope will receive.
The first temptation we might fall into is to think that the next pontiff must contribute decisively to the solution of each of these problems, or spearhead certain agendas. It is true that the Catholic Church can exert a notable influence on culture, social life and institutions. However, that is not, nor should it be, its primary mission.
For this reason, it is appropriate to begin there, without neglecting to address later the concrete tasks that he can take on. The most profound challenge for any Pope is, above all, that of the interior life, fidelity to the Gospel and the ability to make Christ present in people's lives. Precisely for this reason he is called the Vicar of Christ.
The first challenge: anchored in a deep faith
What almost no one talks about in public opinion - and which, paradoxically, is the simplest and at the same time the most demanding - is the fact that a Roman Pontiff must have a profound interior life. A Pope is inconceivable without a sacramental life, without the Eucharist, without long periods of prayer, without intimacy with God, without faith, hope and charity. Although it is true that the last century has given us exemplary pontiffs in this regard, history shows that this has not always been the case. For this reason, this point cannot and should never be overlooked.
No one gives what he does not have. Thus, before any approach to the Church's mission in the years to come, everything must rest on a person whose religious perspective is solid and alive. From a Christian perspective, the effectiveness of any strategy depends more on the inner life of those who carry it out than on operational resources or human plans. The Church evangelizes, above all, by the example of its members who strive to live their faith coherently and are friends of God.
From this, the logical step is obvious: that in the exercise of pontifical government a religious vision prevails, a logic that does not rely exclusively on human criteria, but rather on spiritual foundations. This perspective is not always understood by the non-believing world, and often not even by many believers. We often evaluate the decisions of prelates with purely human categories, without realizing that we are dealing with a different dimension of thought and discernment.
In this sense, it is only natural that the narrative of the film Conclave is profoundly novelistic. It is accurate as far as the recreation of the Sistine Chapel and the rituals of the conclave are concerned, but exaggerated as far as the intrigues, groups and power games are concerned.
Yes, even at the human level, management criteria management do not apply identically to a company, a government or an NGO, they are all the more insufficient to understand the logic that governs the choice of a religious leader. The difference is not only structural, but - we would say without exaggeration - quantum, when the spiritual dimension is introduced, which transcends the merely organizational.
I find it curious to read some newspaper articles on the subject. This week, one headline pointed to the existence of "expectation and secrecy" a few days before the Conclave, insinuating that the cardinals were refusing to give clues as to who the next Pope might be. Another publication claimed that, barely a day after Francis' death, tension had already arisen over the succession, pointing to two cardinals as possible candidates. He left it to his discretion to determine whether these notes respond to a serious journalistic exercise or to a sensationalist approach.
Can there be politicized, ideologized or overly humanized cardinals? Yes. But this does not seem to be the general characteristic of the current College of Cardinals. The vast majority of them are men deeply identified with the supernatural mission of the Church.
Any pronouncement by the Pope - be it about a war, an economic crisis, a political model, a natural catastrophe or the exploitation of people - must inevitably be based on a religious perspective, anchored in a profound faith. Only then can certain human criteria come into play which, with greater or lesser success, can help to solve the problems. But they should never be the starting point.
The second challenge: The Gospel everywhere
Javier Cercas recently published The madman of God at the end of the world. It all began when a Vatican figure approached him with an unusual proposal: to travel with Pope Francis to Mongolia, freely interview various people in the Vatican and publish his conclusions with complete independence. The invitation immediately caught his attention, not only because of the interest of the topic itself, but also because it offered him the chance to address a question that had been with him for years: whether his widowed mother would really meet his deceased father in the afterlife.
A magnificent book, written from the perspective of an atheist, intrigued by the multifaceted and complex personality of Pope Francis, but at the same time admiring the work of so many missionaries in complicated corners of the world. Cercas is surprised precisely by the profoundly missionary facet of Francis. One of his conclusions is that if the Church were to recover this missionary vocation, and in this way bring Christ closer to the people, it would have a great impact.
Along these lines, before considering any strategy to help solve major social problems such as poverty or migration, the new pope should aim to take Christ to many places in the world, to transmit his word, to excite people with his message, to try to change lives positively through the enormous treasure of Christianity. This does not necessarily mean that he has to do it in the first person, knowing that the personalities of the pontiffs lend themselves more or less to missionary journeys. But it does make it an obvious priority in the way he governs and leads, for example, bishops, priests and laity, encouraging them first to have a deep interior life and then to share that richness with others.
The Gospel gives hope to those who have a difficult present; certainty to those who doubt; meaning in life to those who work; joy to those who have less; security to those who face fears. There is no person in the world, of whatever religion, circumstance or continent, who cannot receive light from these contents. It also provides Christians with all the tools they need to live their faith fully and joyfully in the midst of the professional, personal and social circumstances that surround them. This is one of the priority missions of any Vicar of Christ.
After addressing the fundamental points, which ironically are often omitted in the analyses of so many opinion columns on the subject, we now enter into some important current junctures.
Do we want more Christians or do we want current Christians to live their faith better?
In the world of human organizations, a frequent tension is between quality and quantity. Something similar happens in the Church: to what extent is it appropriate to promote the numerical growth of Catholicism in the world, or would it be preferable to accompany more deeply those who are already part of the ecclesial community so that they can better live their faith?
In this sense, Pope Francis adopted a strategy with a clearly missionary spirit. However, he did not so much seek to convince others to convert to Catholicism - in fact, he avoided the term "proselytizing" - but rather to show the faith through life itself, trusting that this witness could be a way for others to encounter God. In my opinion, a very wise decision.
Strictly speaking, the Church should have little concern for numbers. This was precisely the attitude of Christ, who acted almost always from the minority. However, numbers reflect realities, allow us to take stock of what has been done well or badly and offer criteria for discerning how to transmit the Gospel more effectively. That is why I think that this will be a relevant topic in the election of the next Pope.
According to the Pontifical Yearbook, the world's Catholic population has grown in the last twenty years, from about 1.086 billion in 2005 to about 1.406 billion in 2025. The total number of Christians - adding all denominations - has also increased, according to Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, from approximately 2.2 billion to 2.64 billion in the same period. However, given that the world population has also grown, it is worth noting the relative data: if in 2005 16.5 % of the world population was Catholic, today 17.1 % is; as for Christianity in general, it has gone from 33.5 % to 32.1 %.
Contrary to what intuition might suggest, especially influenced by public opinion in the West, Catholicism has grown in recent decades. But to better understand this reality, it is necessary to break down the data by region and country.
Growth has been particularly notable in Africa and Asia. Countries such as Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo show the largest absolute increases in Catholics. In contrast, in nations such as Spain, Italy and Poland, the Catholic population has declined. In Asia, growth is seen in countries such as the Philippines, India and South Korea, where expansion has been extensive in recent decades. China has several million Catholics despite the restrictive policies of its government; if there is a change in conditions someday, it could grow very significantly. In Oceania, the Church has grown more moderately. In the Americas, the picture is mixed, with advances and setbacks depending on the country. For example, in the case of Mexico, both the number of believers and Catholics has decreased.
Although the situation of the Church in Western Europe is complex, there are also important nuances there. France, for example, has registered a considerable increase in conversions to Catholicism in recent years. In the last year alone, more than 10,000 adult converts are reported, not counting baptized children. In England, thousands of conversions are recorded annually, many of them from Anglicanism. If in 2005 there were about 98 million Anglicans in the world, now there are only about 80 million.
This last point is particularly striking. The Anglican Church has made many of its doctrinal positions more flexible in order to align itself with the more liberal criteria of the contemporary world. In contrast, the Catholic Church has maintained a more traditional line. And yet, it is in the more conservative Church that answers seem to be found that the Anglican Church, despite its openness, has failed to offer. This suggests that adapting norms to the tastes of the dominant culture does not necessarily guarantee the strengthening of the community of believers. In fact, the flight of many Anglicans to Catholicism has been due to precisely that reason.
A characteristic of the Church that is difficult for the non-believing world to understand - especially in the West - is that its decisions are not made by democratic majority, but under the conviction that the Holy Spirit guides the Church. The pontiffs are often criticized for holding firm doctrinal positions, especially on issues of sexual morality. But their logic does not respond so much to a desire for flexibility or rigidity, but to the conviction that they must guard a received message, whose norms are not arbitrary, but reflect a vision of the human being that they seek to transmit faithfully. One can agree or disagree, but it seems to me that the internal coherence of this position deserves respect.
Given the trends at the beginning of the third millennium - where the vitality of the Church has been more noticeable in the global south - it is no secret that this influenced the election of a Latin American Pope in the figure of Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Likewise, the analysis of current figures and future projections could be an element to consider in the election of the next pontiff. It will not be a determining factor, but it will be relevant, hence the possibility of an African or Asian Pope.
Today, the distribution of cardinals by continent is much more balanced than in the past. This diversification is valuable for a Church that seeks to understand and accompany the reality of Catholics in very different cultural contexts, both in the East and in the West, in the North and in the South.
Priority aspects within the Catholic Doctrine?
If one opens the Catechism of the Catholic Church, one will find four major sections: the Creed, the Commandments, the Sacraments and Prayer. If we take one of them, for example, the Commandments, we obviously find ten chapters. Each of them encompasses numerous aspects. If we take, for example, the seventh, "Thou shalt not steal," there are issues ranging from the deprivation of liberty to the practice of social justice. Addressing that aspect alone could generate numerous apostolic exhortations or even encyclicals.
I give the above as an example to try to show the immense panorama of topics that can be addressed by a Pope. If the Commandments alone would open up hundreds of options, by putting them together with other aspects - which could range from the sacrament of marriage or encouraging confession, passing through the Immaculate Conception, or reaching the difference between prayer and mindfulness-the magnitude of the challenge is better understood. I refer to it to explain that a pontificate cannot address all the issues; that the historical legacy of the Church is enormous; that it is necessary to establish some priorities, according to the needs of today's world, within that whole range. This work of discernment is one of the challenges of any Pope.
That is why Popes tend to promote a few themes, trying not to neglect the whole. In the case of John Paul II, we note an enormous effort for the so-called new evangelization, writings on the Theology of the Body or the relationship between faith and reason. Pope Benedict contributed to this dialogue between "two wings of the same bird" and also dedicated efforts to confront the dictatorship of relativism, where he was prophetic in warning of the perverse effects that a culture of post-truth can have. Benedict initiated some important reforms in the Church that Pope Francis continued, for example, in relation to the Roman Curia, the measures against sexual abuse or the incorporation of women in several important roles in the Vatican. Yes, although it may not seem so, these last points -which stood out a lot in Francis- started from Benedict.
For his part, Pope Francis insisted a lot on going to the peripheries, getting closer to those most in need, for example, migrants, the imprisoned or those far from the Church, in addition to a marked emphasis on mercy, so necessary in today's society. John Paul II's approach is as Catholic as Benedict's and Francis'; they are simply aspects or nuances within the enormous panorama that Christianity offers and that it is impossible to address in its entirety in a few years of pontificate.
At times, there are seemingly antagonistic approaches between two Popes. While it is true that this could happen, many other times they are simply shades of gray in a wide mosaic. Benedict XVI left more intellectual and theological grounds for dialogue with intellectuals; Francis preferred to dialogue with simple people and liked to use more spontaneous language. Both are valid Catholic positions.
In this sense, the next Pope will have to give continuity to some of the lines of his predecessors and promote some aspects of the enormous field of Catholic doctrine mentioned in the previous lines, several of them related to the circumstances of today's world. This is precisely the reason for the importance of the activities prior to the Conclave, where the cardinals analyze these aspects and become aware of some significant concerns or challenges. If the most important things are religious and spiritual, why are human and material aspects not indifferent to Christianity?
The human side of Christianity
While it is true that the message of Christianity is transcendent, it is also profoundly human and close to the reality of every person. It is the only religion in which a person has declared himself to be God, an issue that has not ceased to scandalize since the first day of its founder's preaching. The fact that he is God and true man means that he has lived human reality in all its richness: its sufferings and joys; hunger and thirst; friendship and betrayal; and so many other human realities, both positive and negative.
In this sense, the new Pope cannot be indifferent to any human reality. Hence also the importance of being close to the most disadvantaged: the sick, the poor, the marginalized. In an interview with Javier Cercas -related to the aforementioned book-, he replies that Christian missionaries are very different from NGOs, because they have a marked vocation of service and, in addition to human help, they also have a spiritual approach. It is an interesting perspective from an atheist, which arises simply from living closely with these impressive examples of life.
To affirm that no human situation can be indifferent to the Church also implies that positive realities must enter into her field of action. Enjoying human life, strengthening family relationships, fostering culture, appreciating beauty... are some examples that can also be enlightened by a Christian vision of existence. I think that one of the challenges for the next Pope is to present the good in an attractive way, articulating truth, goodness and beauty in an appropriate way.
Catholic doctrine in a post-Christian culture
Francis assumed the chair at a time when some internal divergences seemed more palpable. His response was to recall that diversity, far from being a threat, is part of the living fabric of communion.
It is natural for opinions to differ, even vehemently, but the Catholic richness lies in harmonizing nuances without opposing them as irreconcilable sides. The next pontiff will have the pedagogy of unity as a priority: it will be up to him to confirm that, in the Church, plurality does not erode identity when it is lived as dialogue and not as conflict, and that, at the same time, he must administer a doctrine that is greater than his own person.
A very difficult reality for non-believers to grasp is the deep Catholic's conviction that there is a revelation from God, which contains some flexible points, susceptible to accommodate to the times, but also revealed truths in which one must trust in divine wisdom. Of course, if we could fully understand God, we would be God. It is necessary to be humble to recognize that our human logic is not sufficient to understand everything, and to accept that there are aspects that Jesus Christ established in a certain way and that, therefore, we must assume with confidence, even if we do not fully understand his reasons.
When these issues are vehemently debated in public opinion, often in the context of a post-Christian culture, it is worth remembering that the pontiffs, in certain matters, are not called to impose a personal stamp or to act as innovators, but to be faithful interpreters of a message that transcends them.
In this sense, one of the challenges of the new Pope will be to discern clearly between the essential and the accidental; to maintain doctrinal firmness without ceasing to be sympathetic to people and their concerns; to know how to distinguish between a morally inappropriate act and those who commit it, but who need acceptance and mercy. Charity in truth and truth in charity; a difficult art to practice.
The need for morality and ethics in today's world
Today's world is experiencing numerous crises: political, economic, ecological, to name but a few. Certain regions of the world are experiencing humanitarian or security crises; others, perhaps the most sophisticated, are facing mental health problems, growing anxiety and spiritual emptiness. Behind many of these external crises lie inadequate human behaviors: lack of justice, disregard for the dignity of people, rejection of nature, selfishness, individualism and a long etcetera. In other words, the root of some of these crises has to do, deep down, with a lack of ethics or morals.
While it is true that many popes have insisted on these dimensions, the new Pope should not tire of doing so. Moreover, it would be a great help if he were to propose the good and the truth in a more attractive way and be able to outline hopeful horizons of life. Morals and ethics are nothing more than suitable frameworks for being happier.
To insist on the ethical behavior of individuals and institutions; to be able to explain that morality is not a willful whim of God, that it has meaning within the whole of human life; to denounce the abuses that are committed in different areas of society; to emphasize the dignity of each person and of each human life; to have a deeper impact on consciences so that people are capable of committing themselves to the good, even if at times it is difficult to do so.
Public opinion often focuses on the "restrictive" aspects of Catholic morality. However, behind each point is a logic that ultimately points to the good of the individual. Explained in simple language, Christianity interprets that God has designed the human being and the world with wisdom, but that this design implies certain rules, which are not always easy to understand. It's like a toy car instruction manual for a small child. Could it fly? Forcibly, maybe yes, but it would not be optimal according to its design: it is made to roll. And if it is used like that, it is more fully a car and the child enjoys the game more. Such is Catholic morality, although the challenge lies in knowing how to explain and apply it in the context of today's challenges, which are not always univocal.
Benedict XVI insisted on several occasions that the definition of moral criteria could not be derived from a democratic logic of consensus. In the first place, because good and evil do not necessarily coincide with the position of the majorities. Bishop Robert Barron recently recalled that, if Americans had been asked about the advisability of dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II, a huge majority would have voted clearly in favor; which, evidently, does not make that act morally good.
Secondly, because a logic of majorities does not necessarily respond to a principle of equity. Not infrequently, there are minorities with power or money that significantly influence the vote or the opinion of others, and end up building manipulated majorities that do not faithfully represent reality.
In this sense, Benedict XVI defended that, in order to discern whether something is good or bad, it is necessary to have recourse to impartial external institutions instead of falling into democratic struggles. In this respect, the great religious traditions have much to contribute. Just as the Church is not the best qualified to solve, for example, the technical problem of water in the world, it is the best qualified to help discern the morality of situations.
Trust that is woven with fairness and care
For the Church to shine as a serene light in times of uncertainty, it is indispensable to rebuild trust where it has been torn apart. During the pandemic, a missionary recounted how, when accompanying a survivor of abuse in the Peruvian Andes, she did not ask for juridical arguments, she asked for the simplicity of being looked in the eye and listened to with sincere repentance. This cry reminds us that ecclesial credibility, in addition to norms, needs gestures that dignify life.
The constitution Vos estis lux mundi opened unprecedented ways to hold accountable those who have failed in their mission to protect; it is now up to us to translate these ways into uniform practice, strengthening restorative justice and transparency. To promote a culture of care - preventive rather than reactive - is to allow the Gospel to maintain its primordial breath. The same is true for the growing presence of women in decision-making bodies. Among other benefits, this helps us to understand that giving a stable channel to their charisms does not mean clericalizing, but rather showing the breadth of the baptismal vocation.
Universal principles for temporary realities
Francis' pontificate was distinguished by a diplomacy that favored eloquent gestures: that solitary prayer in St. Peter's Square in March 2020, his visit to Mosul amidst the rubble or the unprecedented simultaneous consecration of Russia and Ukraine to the Heart of Mary. The Holy See thus recovered a mediating role that had seemed dormant. All in all, the geopolitics of 2025 has become more complex, e.g.. the prolongation of the war in Ukraine, the vicious cycle of violence in Gaza and the rise of ultra-nationalist rhetoric threaten to ingrain in public opinion the inevitability of perpetual conflict.
Francis' successor will have to deepen the professionalization of Vatican diplomacy, armoring it with experts in international humanitarian law and endowing it with a communicational muscle capable of competing with post-truth. But, above all, he will need to promote and maintain the moral authority that can only be won when the Church's word is not perceived as a geo-strategic calculation but as a defender of universal principles such as peace, charity and justice.
The Pope should not be left-wing or right-wing; indeed, these are human categories that are applied to political concepts, but they are not appropriate to box a spiritual leader. The Pope defends inalienable principles of the human person, regardless of which countries are involved or what the tendency of one or another government is, and therein must lie the root of his approaches.
At the time, Pope John Paul II was very critical of communism because, in its extreme phase, it attacked religion and prohibited fundamental freedoms. He was equally critical of capitalism, especially of extreme models that promoted excessive consumerism or individualistic materialism. The Pope can propose more general principles, which serve more socialist or more capitalist systems, where human dignity, charity, freedom or fraternity are defended.
Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini recalled that "Christianity is a permanent exodus: going out of oneself to enter the promised land of the other". This exodus, translated into history, today implies moving from polarization to symphony, from protocols to effective compassion, from corridor diplomacy to prophecy that points to modern idols.
When the next Pope goes up to the loggiahis ministry will begin in a context where academic reason and the thirst for transcendence coexist with systemic sensibilities. The Church has an enormous responsibility to offer more than moral rhetoric: she is called to ignite hope at the edges of the system, where faith is only convincing when it is translated into a field hospital.
Francis taught us that mercy is not a marginal note of theology; it is its vital pulse. His successor will have to convince us that this conviction can become a stable structure, a pastoral policy and a sign of the times. Only then will the gale raised by the Argentine Pope become a fresh breeze that will propel the Church into the 21st century.
Selected topics of the pontificate
Many other aspects will have to be addressed, to a greater or lesser extent, in the coming years. As mentioned above, the new Pope will have to choose his priorities among the many fronts and alternatives that will be presented to him.
Respect for ecology, which bears striking parallels with respect for human ecology; the ecological disaster is, in many ways, similar to the anthropological disaster that has been generated when the dignity of the human being is not respected. The defense of this dignity at all times, in today's multiple scenarios.
Migration, as a global phenomenon that has captured much of Pope Francis' attention, is an issue that requires continuing to defend the dignity of every person in transit.
Synodality, as a more generalized practice in the Church, seeks to privilege active listening and raise the levels of empathy and sensitivity to the multiple realities of the world. While it is true that it has been widely addressed by the media -which tend to focus on the different opinions on temporal aspects or irregular situations in Catholic communities-, almost no one mentions that these spaces are also designed for silence and listening to the Holy Spirit, an essential foundation for this ecclesial exercise to come to fruition. It is not a matter of imposing one's own will, but of trying to understand what God wants in each area of ecclesial life.
Along the same lines, a closer collaboration between ecclesial institutions, where the charism of each one is respected, but also the vast space of intersection that unites beyond what differentiates is valued. Without neglecting interreligious dialogue and ecumenism, which can do so much good for society when they find common ground that nourishes everyone.
The tools today's Catholics need to navigate a digital world that, while offering enormous opportunities, has also wreaked spiritual and moral havoc on many people.
The plague of pornography, which has weakened so many people, less able to deploy an integral capacity to love that engages both the human and the spiritual.
The need to offer practical tools to young people to face new addictions, such as gambling, video games, or the dopamine of social networks. But, above all, the Church's ability to communicate with young people, to open up alternative and attractive horizons of life, to listen to them, to encourage and inspire them, to teach them to love, to encourage them to be generous with their lives and to show them that lives committed to goodness and truth are not only beautiful, they are a sure path to happiness. I see many avenues of innovation that need to be pursued.
Also, in my opinion, one of the most urgent issues: the strengthening of the family, of the relationship between spouses and children, and the presence of Christ in the midst of every family reality. In this regard, many countries have seen how the low birth rate has had a negative impact on their general well-being, their economies and their future prospects. The Church has much to contribute in the defense of the family, the promotion of life and the encouragement of generous lives which, although demanding, often fill people with meaning and fulfillment.
The sheer list of topics is breathtaking: the role of the Church in the spiritual accompaniment of professionals, in the formation of leaders with an ethical vision, in the promotion of art and beauty as paths to the transcendent, or in dialogue with the sciences and contemporary cultures. Each of these areas represents an opportunity to proclaim the Gospel in understandable language and with concrete proposals.
Finally, and in line with the Second Vatican Council, it is fundamental to promote ways for people to encounter God in ordinary life, at work, in the family itself. The protagonism of the laity can open enormous spaces of opportunity to reach millions of places and capitalize on new ways of evangelization.
First things first
The history of the papacy has not been free of shadows and difficult episodes. There have been pontiffs marked by scandal, by licentiousness, or by confusion between spiritual and earthly power. There were even those who dug up their predecessor to judge him and, after condemning him, threw him into the sea.
For centuries, the inappropriate mix between political and ecclesiastical power weakened the credibility of the Church. However, these excesses have been largely corrected, and with the passage of time important reforms have been consolidated that have restored to the Petrine ministry its most genuine meaning: that of being a spiritual service, not a throne of command.
And yet, what is most striking is not what has failed, but what has remained. Because in spite of human errors, serious in some cases, the Church has maintained a remarkable coherence in doctrinal and moral matters for more than two thousand years. This continuity cannot be explained solely from sociological or institutional coordinates. For those of us who have faith, this permanence is due to the action of the Holy Spirit, who guides the Church, particularly in those decisions that affect revealed truth.
This is precisely one of the aspects most misunderstood by those who look at the Church from the outside. In a modern logic, it would seem more reasonable to apply democratic criteria in the election of the Pope or in his decision-making. But the deep conviction of Catholics is different. It is not only a matter of choosing the most capable according to human criteria, but also of trying to discern whom God wants to lead his Church. That is why the Conclave is structured as a spiritual act, with prolonged spaces of prayer and silence. It is in this atmosphere - and not in the pressure of the media or political calculations - that the cardinals seek to be docile to the voice of the Spirit..
And although the challenges of the world demand the Pope's attention to human, social, cultural and geopolitical issues, the most important thing remains that with which we began this reflection: a good Pope is, above all, a soul deeply united to God. First things first. A man convinced that his role is not to impose a personal agenda or to satisfy external expectations, but to be an instrument for making Christ present in the world. To govern, for him, means to serve. To lead, in Christian terms, is to second the impulses of the Spirit, not to lead them.
For this reason, it is not unusual for many of those elected to the pontificate to resist at first. The burden is immense, both in terms of institutional responsibility and the call to incarnate a spiritual ideal as high as that of the Vicar of Christ. Any person aware of his human limits feels vertigo in the face of such a mission.
Therein lies, at bottom, the essential difference between a pope and a CEO, a head of state, a monarch or an NGO director. Although he must exercise organizational and governmental functions, his most profound task is not efficiency or profitability, but fidelity. The Pope does not represent an ideology or a personal project: he represents Christ. His voice must not be his own, but that which the Spirit whispers to him.
Therefore, beyond the country of origin, the media profile or external expectations, what really matters is that the new Pope has that spiritual depth that allows him to be a humble servant, docile to God, courageous before the world, close to the people. If he achieves that, with his lights and shadows, he will be a good Pope. And that is what I wish, with hope, for the Church and for the world.
Author:
Santiago García Álvarez,
Rector de la Universidad Panamericana Campus México.
