As we all know, leaders of the Roman Catholic Church made history last week, electing the first pope from the Southern Hemisphere. In electing the 76-year-old Cardinal Jorge Maria Bergoglio of Argentina, the first non- European pope in 1,300 years - now Pope Francis, finally the Church recognized not only an economic and military shift but also a shift in the focus of the Church from the West to the East.
The College of Cardinals realized the growing importance of Latin America and Asia. Globalization fundamentally changed the definition of community. Especially social networks, smart phones, blogs, and mass communications technologies have completely redefined how community is created and defined. People everywhere now see the world as a collection of sovereign states. The concern is that as the world grew more modern, spirituality declined, replacing it with materialism. It was not surprising in his first public Mass that Pope Francis urged the Catholic Church to go back to its Gospel roots and to shun the modern temptations, warning that if they do not proclaim the Gospel, they would become another compassionate NGO. “We can walk all we want, we can build many things, but if we don’t proclaim Jesus Christ, something is wrong. We would become a compassionate NGO and not a Church which is the bride of Christ,” he said.
The question is that if our world is becoming a global village, can a strong centralized bureaucracy like the pope survive? The theological liberalism that has dominated the West and America undermines the Christian faith, much as secular liberalism, which, although it was intended to improve society, will end up bankrupting it unbeknown to them. Social justice is their article of faith rather than the words of God alone. When the Vatican was in the process of choosing a new pope, some of the American Catholic church leaders were wishing for a Jesus with an MBA, who is a businessman, a CEO, and a greater communicator and who has social media savvy while others were wishing to have someone who is spiritual and who will truly represent Christ, follow the cross of Christ, and strongly condemn immorality, not tolerating sin. An individual can be religious, but if a person does not have a personal relationship with God and thereby know what concerns God but instead follows his cultural duty to go to church every day, he may at the same time continue to cheat or indulge in unholy behavior. The Philippines is considered one of the most religious countries in Asia, but also considered one of the most corrupt countries in Asia.
The Catholic Church has likewise declined, because of some of the leaders’ decline of personal intimacy with their creator and the decline of faith caused by not practicing the true faith. For example, that is why the sex-abuse scandal is rampant. Immoral practices receiving immunity in the Church, the expansion of globalization, the rise of shopping malls and prosperity have all contributed to the decline of faith. We have seen the rise of materialism in the West that has now shifted to the East as well. People avoid thinking about an afterlife, whether heaven or hell, as long as they enjoy the life they have, as long as they enjoy the Korean singer “Music Gangnam style."
At the moment, the obsession is having a new iPhone, new electronic gadgets, vocations, drugs, sex, or addictions. Even the poor have cell phones and would like to have all the gadgets as well, and while not bad in themselves, these technologies can replace faith. One thinks that the West gave the gifts of technology and capitalism to Asia and to the rest of the world, both bringing prosperity and creating worldly comfort. If capitalism and technology help to create wealth, then we see the same shift to China, India, and the Philippines. When I first came to the Philippines, I was so shocked to see that every Sunday the mall in Manila held Mass, but I do not see Mass now, at least in Davao City malls. We can see a decline of faith. Having faith is not related to being poor or rich; it has to do with a person’s trusting, being faithful to his/her creator, and believing in the words of God. Jesus did not mention the dangers of physical poverty, but He was more concerned about the hazards for rich men. The new pope with his humility has an opportunity to restore true faith to the public sphere and to reclaim a faith with its adversarial role against corruption and evil. But, as we see today, the sun is in the East in politics, religion and economics, and the rise of the East is the sunset of the West.
Dr. Aland Mizell is with the University of Mindanao School of Social Science, President of the MCI and a regular contributor to The Kurdistan Tribune, Kurdishaspect.com, Mindanao Times and Kurdish Media.You may email the author at:aland_mizell2@hotmail.com.
