Who Ya Gonna Call?

The Vatican is up in arms. That is not news in itself. The seat of power for the Roman Catholic Church always seems to have their vestments in a twist. What is it this time: Women in the priesthood? Molestation allegations? Abortion? No. It's the Pope and his phone. Apparently Pope Francis has a habit of picking up the phone and cold calling people who write to him. Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi has had enough.

Lombardi said on Thursday the calls were part of the pope's "personal pastoral relationships" and "do not in any way form a part of the pope's public activities". Lombardi went on, calling the calls "a source of misunderstanding and confusion."

What could possibly be confusing about getting a call from the Pope? If, for example, I wanted to know if Adam and Eve had navels, who else would I call?  Is baptism necessary for salvation? Ask the Pope. What was Noah's wife's name? Stump the Pontiff. If you were a woman in Argentina who had complained her parish priest would not grant her Holy Communion because she had divorced and remarried, wouldn't you hope for a little divine guidance?

Well, that's just what Pope Francis did. Francis was quoted by the woman's husband as saying that the issue was being "looked at" in the Vatican and that divorcees who take Holy Communion "are doing nothing bad." Catholic rules currently ban divorcees from taking Holy Communion. So who you gonna trust? Some rules, written down a long time ago, or the Guy In Charge? I would want to talk to the supervisor. 

This is the best way I can think of to get clarification on any possible sticking points. Instead of sending it to committee and having that group send a puff of white smoke to indicate what I should do next, I'll be happy to sit by my phone and wait for the infallible word. Thanks.