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As I sat in church today, I 
found myself wondering, what 

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should the new Pope do? 
I grew up in a deeply Catholic 

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family. 
My parents remained committed to

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the Catholic Church throughout 
their lives, even though they 

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strongly disagreed with certain 
church teachings, particularly 

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those on birth control and the 
role of women. 

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As I sat in church today, I 
found myself wondering what 

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should the new Pope do after 
returning from church? 

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I stepped into my office, closed
the door, and recorded this 

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podcast without a script. 
Just speaking from the heart. 

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It may not be as polished as my 
usual episodes, but I wanted to 

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share with you. 
I fear this podcast has 

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something to offend almost 
everyone. 

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I nearly didn't post it. 
If you're LGBTQIA plus or a 

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woman, you might feel that these
steps are too small, too slow, 

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and too late. 
And you'd be right. 

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If you're a conservative 
Catholic, you might wonder who 

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am I to speak on this? 
And there may be some truth to 

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that as well. 
But these thoughts came to me in

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church. 
They felt spirit LED. 

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Let me know what you think in 
the podcast comments. 

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You might assume my first 
suggestion would be to ordain 

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women and sexual minorities, 
granting them full rights within

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the church. 
And while I would dearly love to

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see that happen, that is not 
what came to me. 

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There may be two reasons for 
this. 

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First, this Pope isn't going to 
do it, and 2nd, even if he were 

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willing, such rapid change would
likely fracture the church. 

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So instead, here are some of the
more gradual steps a Pope could 

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take, steps that would still 
honor the Gospel message. 

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Coincidentally, last week, 
shortly before the white smoke 

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arose from the Sistine Chapel, I
attended an inspiring but 

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sobering presentation from Scott
Austin Key, founder of Every 

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Shelter, an organization which 
empowers refugees to build 

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shelters. 
He described the tragic reality 

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inside African refugee camps 
where the majority of those 

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seeking safety are women and 
children fleeing war-torn 

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regions. 
Now, with US pulling back from 

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humanitarian aid, the situation 
is even more dire. 

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That may be why my first 
thought, the first thought that 

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came to me, was the new Pope 
should visit two of the world's 

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largest refugee camps and call 
on Catholics everywhere to stand

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in support of these women and 
children fleeing violence. 

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It would send a powerful message
about what it truly means to be 

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a Christian in today's world. 
As Jesus said, come you who are 

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blessed by my Father, take your 
inheritance, the Kingdom 

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prepared for you since the 
creation of the world. 

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For I was hungry and you gave me
something to eat. 

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I was thirsty and you gave me 
something to drink. 

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I was a stranger and you invited
me in. 

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I needed clothes and you clothed
me. 

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I was sick and you looked after 
me. 

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I was in prison and you came to 
visit me. 

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Similarly, I would follow the 
refugee camp initiative with 

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initiatives focusing on widows, 
orphans and prisons. 

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And it occurs to me that these 
are all Gospel messages. 

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Jesus spoke multiple times about
prisons, orphans, widows. 

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The new Pope might wrap these in
a decade of Gospel action. 

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As part of this decade of Gospel
action, I would recommend the 

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Pope initiate a youth corps that
Catholic youth be encouraged to 

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spend a summer at a minimum and 
up to two years in service to 

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their communities, some abroad 
but many locally in poor 

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schools, in prisons, working 
with orphans, etcetera. 

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Focusing on the same group, 
prisoners, orphans, single 

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parents, struggling widows and 
refugees. 

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One of the most unique things 
that churches in the West have 

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largely dropped but was core to 
Jesus ministry was healing. 

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So my next piece of advice to 
the new Pope, as part of this 

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decade of Gospel action, would 
be to encourage all bishops to 

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have at least one monthly 
healing ceremony and that the 

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ranks of Catholics be scoured 
for those who have the healing 

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touch. 
And at least once a month, but 

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in large areas and many areas, 
perhaps multiple times a week, 

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there be healing ceremonies 
where people can come forward 

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and hands would be laid upon 
them and prayers of healing. 

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Now, those of you who have tend 
healing ceremonies know that 

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sometimes nothing happens. 
Sometimes things don't happen 

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for quite a while, and sometimes
there are immediate miracles, 

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but they're usually deeply 
spiritual experiences. 

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As I watched the white smoke 
rise above the Sistine Chapel, a

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sadness filled me, knowing that 
women had been excluded from the

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process. 
And I thought how easy it would 

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be for this Pope to ensure that 
women were included at the next 

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papal conclave selecting his 
successor. 

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I had a vision of female 
Cardinals, perhaps called 

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matriarchal Cardinals or 
cardinal mothers. 

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They might be women like Mother 
Teresa. 

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They might be heads of orders, 
they might be deaconesses, they 

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might even be lay people who had
exhibited Christ in such a way 

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as they should have a vote at 
the table when the next Pope is 

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chosen. 
Controversial, yes, but I don't 

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think it would RIP the church 
apart. 

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Then my mind went to all the 
women and married men that are 

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excluded from church leadership.
Such a tragedy, so much untapped

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talent. 
And if allowing female priests 

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and married priests is too big a
step for this Pope, he could do 

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it gradually. 
He could allow men who are 

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already married to become 
priests. 

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There is precedent for this. 
An earlier Pope did this for 

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married Anglican priests who 
wished to become Catholic 

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priests. 
Then the Pope could allow nuns 

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to say mass. 
Today nuns are prohibited from 

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consecrating the host. 
This is a non biblical rule. 

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Clearly women broke bread and 
hosted religious services in the

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early church and the Pope could 
reinstigate this. 

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Then he could allow married 
women to be ordained and same as

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there are women who later in 
life after they've had a family 

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and children that have a calling
and they have to leave the 

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Catholic Church to fulfill it. 
It is so tragic. 

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Thus, the Pope could move in 
stages to include many who have 

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been excluded from full 
participation in its ministry. 

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And then I would recommend the 
Pope reverse the papal 

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encyclical on birth control. 
So for those of you that know 

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the checkered past of this, the 
Pope at the time that birth 

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control was banned stacked the 
committee with some of the most 

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conservative Catholics in the 
world and the committee voted to

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allow birth control and the Pope
overruled them. 

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The original advice of this 
papal committee that examined 

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birth control should be heeded 
by this Pope, even though it has

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been ignored by so many popes. 
It's really a symbolic action. 

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Catholics use birth control with
the same frequency that 

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Protestants use birth control, 
but this kind of insidious 

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corruption in theology just 
undermines the church, 

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particularly with young people 
and married couples. 

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Shortly after watching the white
smoke rise above the Sistine 

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Chapel, a friend from church 
sent me a link to a sermon by 

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Pastor Zach Lambert. 
It was brilliant, and I've 

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included a link to it in the 
notes. 

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In that sermon, Pastor Lambert 
reminded me of Isaiah 56. 

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Five, where God promises sexual 
minorities. 

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A place and a name better than 
sons or daughters. 

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A place and a name better than 
sons or daughters. 

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Wow. 
That may be the only passage in 

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Scripture where a group is so 
profoundly elevated. 

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The Catholic Church must 
confront the affirming, 

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inclusive passages in Scripture.
It's not just Isaiah's promise 

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that sexual minorities will be 
blessed by God way beyond sons 

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and daughters, but also Matthew 
1912 where Jesus acknowledges 

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that God created at least three 
types of sexual minorities, and 

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in Acts 826 through 40 where the
Holy Spirit directs Philip to 

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baptize an Ethiopian sexual 
minority. 

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These are not obscure verses 
hidden in the depths of 

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Leviticus or Deuteronomy. 
These are scriptures highlighted

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by Matthew, Luke, and Isaiah. 
They are foundational Christian 

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theology, and they should not be
mistranslated, minimized, or 

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swept aside. 
The church must reckon with 

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these passages and fully embrace
sexual minorities, welcoming 

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them as equal partners in faith.
And if you're unfamiliar with 

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these powerful verses, I've 
covered them in previous 

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episodes. 
You can find them in this 

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podcasts archives and Pastor 
Lambert's sermon provides a 

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fantastic overview of them as 
well. 

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Again, I'll include link to a 
sermon in the notes. 

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So these were my reflections as 
I consider the immense 

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challenges facing the new Pope 
and how he might guide the 

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church back to Jesus inclusive 
gospel message. 

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This is Elton Sherwin, stay set,
be brave and God blessed.