Letter from Chip Northrup
The Cardinals Got It Right
You don’t have to be a Catholic to love the Pope. But it sure seems to help. It is a case of massive psychological transference, as confirmed by his name in Latin: “Father.” I met Pope John XXIII when I was 12. We talked about bicycles. I had a three-speed Schwinn. He had a 12-speed Bianchi. But he didn’t try to lord that over on me bikewise. He looked a bit like my hero, Yogi Berra. My mother arranged the audience and we flew over from Idlewild Airport in a four engine prop plane that stopped at Gander, Newfoundland to refuel, then Shannon, Ireland to refuel, then at a dusty little airport outside of Rome. Good times.
I was a big fan of Pope Francis, who, as a Jesuit, was savvy enough to pave the way for an American to succeed him, a Christian American, an increasingly rare breed. Pope Leo spent most of his career in Latin America, helping the poor. So the cardinals sent the world a message: Here is the American Pope you’ve been waiting for, and, surprise, this one actually understands what Christianity is all about. This guy is as woke as Jesus.
Other religious movements have been hijacked by charismatic grifters that preach the gospel of prosperity, who would make a virtue of avarice, a sacrament of gluttony. Growing up in Texas, most parish churches had Mexicans and Black folks, including Creoles, like Pope Leo’s grandparents. So, from childhood, my impression of other religions—Baptists, Methodist, Episcopalians, Presby-terians, Jewish—was that they were not integrated, reflecting the apartheid of the South. But not our parish, Holy Trinity. Not the Cathedral of Guadalupe downtown. We looked like the UN General Assembly. Or the College of Cardinals.
But don’t get me wrong, the Catholic Church has a long, sordid history of getting Christianity wrong. Their acquiescence to fascism in Germany and Italy was monstrously wrong. And pederasty is not exactly scriptural. But, god bless ‘em, the cardinals didn’t miscue this time. Not with this fellow. Good choice. Maybe a great choice. Christianity is a great model of how to live. All avowed Christians should give it a try some time.
Chip Northrup
Cooperstown
