The Church Is Ever So Much Larger Than the Pope

I am one of the many intrigued and interested observers following the conclave and the selection of the successor of John Paul II. I know that this decision can and will have an incredible impact on the voice of Christianity in the global conversation. John Paul II was invited and warmly greeted to come to tables that would have been off limits to his predecessors. Yet, he had a humility about him that made him a welcome guest at many a dinner party.

In following the discussion, I happened to run across an intriguing quote on the dichotomy between the search for the successor of Saint Peter and the place and importance of the church:

It becomes increasingly evident, however, that talk about finding "another John Paul" needs to be discouraged. That possibility is nowhere in sight. As important as the pope is, the Church is ever so much larger than the pope. Interviewers ask about "the policies" of the next pope, as though each pontificate reinvents Catholicism. In fact, the papal office is very limited. Among the titles of the pope is Servus servorum Dei; he is the "servant of the servants of God," and his paramount service is to preserve and protect "the faith once delivered to the saints." Richard John Neuhas at First Things.

It is just a reminder that the Church is every larger than the most dynamic, humble, charismatic, and powerful leaders. The church, at its best, is primarily about the work done by the servants of God at the local level. The pope, like all leaders of all bodies of Christians (whether large or small, local or denominational), is called to serve and to equip the servants of God to embody and establish the kingdom more clearly in the world.