The Truth doesn't change

It always surprises me that the people who so obviously hate, or at least strongly dislike, the Church know so little about it.

Truth does not change with time.  Truth does not change with the Pope.  The simple fact is that the Pope is merely God's agent. The Pope does not define Truth his job is to spread God's Truth to all men so all can be saved and rejoice in God.

In one sense the Papal election is unimportant; it will not change the teachings of the Church.  On the other it is very important because it will define how the Church will go about spreading the Truth it has received to all ends of the earth.

When you hear some talking head on a TV show, often a "Catholic" who disagrees with most of what the Church teaches, say that the new Pope should change this or that doctrine remember that the Church has been teaching the same Truth for 2000 years.

When you see the helicopter shots of Rome during the coverage of this Papal election and you see the Colosseum remember that the Colosseum construction was started more than 30 years after the Church was founded.  Remember that the Christians who were martyred in the Colosseum professed the same beliefs, the same Truth, that the new Pope will profess.

Civilizations come and civilizations go but the Church, like its founder, sails on unchanged.