Let’s face it: The modern papacy is an impossible gig

[Michie]

ROME – Here’s a brief sampling of news stories that have moved across the Vatican wire in recent days.

• The Pontifical Council for Culture, under the ever-idiosyncratic Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, raised eyebrows anew with its announcement of a forthcoming May 6-8 conference on health care, cosponsored with the Cura Foundation, which, among other speakers, will feature Aerosmith’s Joe Perry, Deepak Chopra, Anthony Fauci, and Chelsea Clinton.
• Pope Francis once again weighed into battles over climate change, this time offering a brief video message for US President Joe Biden’s April 22-23 Earth Day summit, intended to mark the reemergence of the United States as a global leader in the fight against climate change. The pontiff called the environment “a gift that we have received, and that we have to heal, protect, and carry into the future.”
• Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana, who heads the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, and who’s considered a key Pope Francis ally, sponsored a webinar on biodiversity April 20. A highlight came with remarks by British scientist Jane Goodall, known around the world for her studies of chimpanzees and her advocacy of species conservation. Goodall called Pope Francis a “reason for hope” in her efforts.
• As rallies protesting Covid-19 protections broke out in Italy and other parts of the world, often involving struggling restaurant, transportation and tourism workers, Pope Francis and his Vatican team largely stayed on the sidelines. In the Italian media, the general consensus was that while the pontiff generally supports the little guy, in this case Francis’s broad support for the scientific consensus regarding anti-Covid measures took precedence.
• On Thursday Pope Francis met Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri of Lebanon, using the occasion to once again urge the international community to do more to bring stability to the Middle Eastern nation. The pontiff also expressed his desire to visit Lebanon as soon as possible.

To recap, these stories touch on health care systems and delivery in the 21st century, climate change, biodiversity, the tension between protecting public health and individual freedom in the Covid era, and the politics of the Middle East.

Is there a common denominator? Yes: In today’s world, the pope is expected to have something to say about all of them.

Continued below.
https://cruxnow.com/news-analysis/2021/04/lets-face-it-the-modern-papacy-is-an-impossible-gig/