For the first time in my life, I can say the Pope is younger than me. I rejoiced when I discovered this. The reason for my joy is subtle and has more to do with my own struggles in ministry than any opinion I might have about papal competency. I have sought to be intentional about aging, retirement, and my elder role as I relate to the three generations of adults who are younger than me. People born in the 1950s have had their time in office. I don’t believe anyone over sixty-five should seek to be president of our country, or head of the local school board, or bishop in my denomination. I don’t say this because I fear senility, which I do on some days, but because each generation must graciously yield the floor to the next. It’s not that youth have better ideas. It’s that as we age, we lose flexibility. We become stubborn and unwilling to change course when things aren’t working. Many a morning, I read the paper and pray for a certain elder in high office to admit that his critics might have a valid point.
Not that there is some neurological reason for seventy-year-olds not to be in the papacy or political office, or begin a second career as a clergy person. But the lesson for all of us is that maintaining ethical and spiritual sensitivity requires constant work. As we age, the time needed to do that work well grows. Early indications are that Pope Leo has the right background to do this. He understands the poor and has traveled widely. But will the insulated and busy world of the Vatican steal him away from his soul? Time will tell.