When Pope Benedict retired, I made an off-handed joke that the church should elect me pope. It was obviously a joke, and since I am clergy, somewhat relatable as such. A friend of mine from high school, Steve W., sent me a picture of me wearing a robe that Pope B. had been known to wear, and I posted it. No hat, no shepherd’s crook, just a robe that was far fancier than I am known to wear, but one also worn, possibly, by others. We all laughed; it would be funny for a protestant, married man to be elected pope. But it was just a joke. Last week, just after the death of Pope Francis, President Trump posted what seemed to be a serious image of him in all of the pope bling. Or maybe it was a joke. We often don’t know with Mr. Trump. He has a dry sense of humor.
If it was serious – and this president suffers often from delusions of grandeur, so he might have been serious – then it was disrespectful, not only to the memory of Pope Francis, but to the billion-plus Catholics around the world. If it was supposed to be funny, he needs a secretary of humor to pass his jokes by, because no, it was not funny. Not even close. Even the person I consider to be the worst pope in history, Pope John XII, whose reign was part frat party and part brothel, and was in charge of the church from 955-964, was more moral than Mr. Trump. And I know that some people think that anything can be joked about – I certainly push the limits – this was not funny.
I appreciated much of what Pope Francis did and I, with many others, wish he could have done more. I hope that the cardinals choose someone who will continue to clean house and make their denomination better than ever, which is something I hope for with every flavor of this imperfect religion I love. But please – let’s not allow this kind of pettiness to go unchecked. Some things are just not funny, and this was one of them. And just a bit of free advice; President Trump, please stay out of religion. You don’t know enough about it to contribute to the conversation.
Prayer – Holy God, we are grateful for the joy that humor brings to our lives, and for the ability to laugh at ourselves. Help us to not laugh at others. Amen.
Today’s art is a picture of the Sistine Chapel, the site of the conclave to choose the new pope.