Pundits on the pope, March 26, 2013 The latest National Catholic Reporter (Mar.29 – Apr 11) feeds my addiction to religious politics with a wealth of opinion, reflections, suppositions, and guesses about the new pope. Joan Chittister (p. 13) expresses weary longing for reform of the Catholic Church, and many observers offer suggestions for cleaning up its moribund institutional structure. John Allen (p. 9) reviews qualifications for high offices in its governing structure. Antonio M. Pernia (p. 12) states, In a complex world—more multicultural, pluralistic, postmodern, global and technological—it is no longer possible for one person to govern alone. . . . Just as a superior general of religious orders has a council to govern with him, cannot a pope, too, have a council (e.g., of six or eight or 10) who would share the responsibility of leadership with him? Emeritus Archbishop of San Francisco John Quinn calls for major decentralization of Vatican and papal auth...