(RNS) — Clergy sexual abuse. Women’s roles in the church. Adherence to Scripture and tradition. When we asked RNS readers who follow us on social media to name the concerns they want a new pontiff to focus on, the answers were familiar to anyone who followed the controversies of Pope Francis’ pontificate.
Some were critical of Francis’ handling of these issues or said they’d lost hope in the church as an institution, with more than one reader suggesting leaders simply dissolve it and “focus on teaching the people the actual Word of God.”
But when we asked readers what they were looking for in a new pope, most expressed admiration for Francis and hoped for a figure like him. “Same as before! A humble, non-judgmental leader!” wrote a reader who goes by Jack OB, whose vote would go to Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle of the Philippines.
Some readers wanted a pontiff who would stand up to authoritarians, while others wanted to continue Francis’ appeal to those outside of Catholicism. Citing Francis’ dedication to inclusiveness, reader José Cintron said he wanted a new pope to have Francis’ ability to appeal to “non-Catholics and non-Christians, billions of people with whom we share a planet.”
But the majority who took the time …