HABEMUS PAPAM FRANCISCUM

It's true! We have a Pope! Buenos Aires Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected yesterday to succeed Benedict XVI to the Chair of Peter, and he has taken the regnal name of Francis. An exceedingly humble, simple man with a great love for evangelization and orthodoxy, who holds a Master's Degree in Chemistry. The first Jesuit, the first from the Americas, and the first Francis. What a great day! I'm excited!

So in such a big event, we find wonderful opportunities to evangelize to those who would usually not pay much attention to the workings, or the message, of the Church. And in doing so, of course, we also find many of the common "worldly hopes" rooted in misunderstandings of the fundamental teachings of the Church. You've heard them, or maybe even thought them, yourself.

"I hope this new Pope gives women a fair shake this time!"
"Maybe now we'll get female Priests!"
"I hear this Pope might allow condoms and say gay marriage is okay!"

Well alright. So what do you say to these types of comments? Outside of a snarky answer like "Saying the Vatican oppresses women because they can't be Priests makes as much sense as saying the hospital oppresses men because they can't give birth.", how do you handle situations where the person making the comment is well-intentioned albeit ignorant on how the Church works? Well, for starters, not like this wonderful conversation I had with someone the day the conclave began:

B: Pray for Pink Smoke!
Me: Why's it gotta be pink? Because girls like pink? Why can't girls like blue? People like you with antiquated notions of oppressive gender roles are putting feminism back 50 years.
B: Putting women back 50 years? Wrong notion. Want to find a place where women are oppressed....look in the direction of the Vatican. When you see pink smoke, you'll see a woman elected Pope.
Me: I know what "pink smoke" means, B. It means "fundamentally misunderstanding Catholicism on its most basic level". Because it's not like the most important figure in the religion, other than God Himself, is a woman. Oh wait. It is.
B: Oh, really? Then most the world misunderstand on its most basic level, man.
Me: ...yes? Luckily, for those who care to know what they're talking about, there are countless resources. Perhaps you could start with www.catholic.com, or pick up an easy to read copy of Catholicism for Dummies by the always eloquent Fr. John Trigilio. Remember, those who already know everything never learn anything.
Oh gosh, what am I thinking? You're also certainly welcome to sit in with my Sunday School kids some day.

So yeah, obviously this is something I struggle with on occasion myself. And hey, I "won" the argument! In the worst way possible, but there it is. So my first piece of advice is to be empathetic and understanding. Know where the person is coming from, and do your best to address there specific issue. Try to get them to understand that the Church and the Pope doesn't sit around making up arbitrary doctrines that change on the mood and view of the current pontiff. Make it clear the the new Pope can't make abortion same-sex "marriage", or women priests okay "okay" anymore than the President of the United States can repeal the law of gravity.

As a culture, the world tends to be obsessed with what it can test empirically. What it can touch, taste, smell, hear, and see. The philosophical tools of study and proof have been largely thrown aside, which has led to the sharp rise in "new atheism" and related movements. The idea that a spiritual change is as real and as objective as a physical change gets muddied in endless barrages of images to the contrary.

And this is where we can take a page from our new Vicar of Christ. Although a man of steadfast faith and belief, he remains humble and service-minded. At all times proclaim Christ through your actions and your love. Will they walk away convinced? Maybe not, but through your love they may begin to hear the whisper of truth.