Don’t take the pious

In an era when only 18% of people in Britain are actually practicing members of a religious community, it’s no wonder that conclave and the prospect of a new pope seem to hold little excitement, or even interest, for huge swathes of the population in our country.

While Christianity still holds firm as the biggest religion in the UK at 59%, the last 10 years have seen a steady decrease in organised faith. Britain’s secularisation is just one example of a global trend. While some people are converting later in life, they are too few in number to stop the gap left by the disillusioned young members of more socially conservative religions like the Catholic Church.

As a ‘cradle Catholic’ myself, I’ve been through many periods of doubt, and been forced into many conversations with so-called ‘militant atheists’ trying to convert me to godlessness. Being religious in the UK is increasingly less common, less popular and less understood. But does this mean that the leaders of the church, and the work it does, cease to have value?

During his papacy Benedict XVI endured blows to the integrity of the Catholic Church, including a storm of accusations concerning sexual abuse and misconduct that continues to this day. The recent revelations about Cardinal Keith O’Brien, Britain’s most senior Roman Catholic cleric, is a poignant example.

While the pious have remained generally stalwart in their faith, and properly so, many young people have understandingly turned away from a religious organisation that, at least in popular discourse, embodies corruption, sexism and homophobia.

Benedict XVI has not been a progressive leader. His educational and working backgrounds are in theology, and his tenure has been seen as very conservative, and designed for a return to the traditional morals of the Church in the face of growing secularisation. However, it seems the winds of change are coming.

Amongst the Papabili (those most likely to become Pope) are cardinals who have called for an end to celibacy, and the use of contraception to prevent the spread of HIV. While these may be seen as only small steps in the grand scheme of modernisation, they show the church to be more than the static entity it’s often considered. I personally am still waiting for female ordination, though papal infallibility seems to rule this out completely.

There are still many discussions to be had about the evolution of the church, and its continuing role in defining the life choices of believers, all of which will be led by whoever is elected into the office of St. Peter in the coming days.

In their role as a teacher and interpreter of the faith, the new pope’s stance on hundreds of issues will be felt the world over. Despite growing secularisation in Europe, there is no way to minimise the influence of such authority.

Yes, the Catholic Church may need to modernise, and yes the numbers of practicing Catholics is shrinking, but the value and importance of the Church and the Papacy is not. Despite the recent turmoil, the Catholic Church is still a great force for good in the world; something often overlooked. It is actually the largest non-state provider of education and medicine globally and frequently acts as a champion of the oppressed, one of the most famous examples being Oscar Romero of El Salvador.

While the next ‘Bishop of Rome’ will not receive the same reverence the office once had, he will still be an extremely significant figure as the spiritual leader of over one billion people, about 1/7th of the global population. Few others can claim such numbers, and certainly not with the same levels of faith and devotion.

While practicing Catholics are becoming less common in Europe, Catholicism is on the rise elsewhere. The Church may be operating under the strains of scandal and lost faith, but as the largest and fastest growing Christian church in the world, its relevancy and power is undeniable.