You've likely heard that the Pope has died. Now, whether you grew up revering that office or

rejecting it outright, what happens next? The selection of a new Pope isn't just a pageantry

of smoke and Latin incantations. It's the global appointment of someone who claims moral

authority over a billion people and whose teachings have real world consequences

for policy, health care, education, and the safety and dignity of LGBTQ people, of women,

and countless others. For many who are still healing from the influence of the RCC, news coverage

over the past week has been rough.

And let's be clear, this isn't just about theological opinions or ceremonial hats.

The next pope will influence the church's stance on birth control access in regions battling

poverty, the treatment of queer youth in Catholic schools, the messaging

around HIV-AIDS prevention, and the church's role in protecting or ignoring survivors

of abuse, both modern sexual abuse scandals and historical generations-long efforts to subjugated

indigenous peoples. His words will echo in legislation

across Latin America, Africa, and here in the U.S., where bishops and lawmakers are increasingly

flaunting the wall of separation. So, even if we don't kneel at that altar, we can't

afford to look away, because when religious doctrine is used to justify harm, silence becomes complicity.

And we're heard to make a little noise.

So even if you don't believe in the throne of St. Peter, the people in power who are writing laws, shaping culture, and making decisions that reach far beyond the Vatican walls often do.

Today, I want to ask, why does this matter?

And how do we, as people committed to reason, compassion, and justice respond to this moment?

Hold on to your pointy hats, find your questions, and let's get into it,

because the show is coming right now.

...