Who Says the Catholic Church Doesn't Change?

A reply to a really obvious question was another question: “Is the Pope Catholic?” A similar question could have been: “Is the Pope Italian?” 456 straight years of Italian Popes. Now 47 years of a non-Italian Pope. First in 1978 came John Paul II. The Polish Pope, previously known as Cardinal Karol Wojtyla. Archbishop of Krakow, Poland. Skorupski Brothers was a large service station on Boston Road in Springfield. They posted a mammoth sign: “The Pope is Polish.” pope Jogn Paul II helped Solidarity survive in Poland, resulting in the dermise of the Communist dictatorship. The High Noon Poster was Solidarity's Symbol. The assumption was John Paul II was a one-time break with tradition, a one and done. Pope John Paul II, was seceded by Pope Benedick XVI, who as the young Joseph Alois Ratzinger was drafted into the Luftwaffe and then transferred to the Wehrmacht in World War II. He entered a seminary in 1945 Pope Francis, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, next in line, was a Jesuit Cardinal from Buenos Aires, albeit of Italian heritage. The Jesuits historically had a tempestuous relationship with the Vatican. The irony is that as a Jesuit. Pope Francis would answer to Father Arturo Sosa Abascal, the Superior General of the Jesuit order. Now the Superior General had to answer to his underling. Even more unforeseeable than a Polish, Nazi soldier, or Jesuit as the new Pope is an American Augustinian Pope, Leo XIV, from Chicago, Illinois. He is a Chicago White Sox fan. How does he explain the White Sox to the Curia? He even plays the guitar. He’s a Cardinal from Chicago, but not Chicago’s Cardinal. It’s getting confusing and discombobulating. The Vatican has changed from 80% Italian cardinals to 20%. At least Pope Francis was of Italian heritage. By way of full disclosure I received my Bachelor’s and J.D degrees from the University of San Francisco, a Jesuit university. I had to read a lot of St. Augustine in the mandatory Philosophy courses. I tuned out philosophy. I paid $5 for his book at book fair, but never opened it.