The Wrong Spirit
Amidst the deluge of media coverage of the events surrounding the Pope's death, an alert Briefing reader noticed this Dateline interview that George Negus conducted with Cardinal George Pell, on April 6.
GEORGE NEGUS: Cardinal, I don't mean this in a facetious or a sacrilegious way, but how does the Holy Spirit guide people like yourself in the conclave when there has to be politics involved, there has to be ideology involved, there has to be numbers involved, is the Holy Spirit a good political numbers man?
CARDINAL GEORGE PELL: No, sometimes He gets it right, sometimes He gets it wrong. But the Holy Spirit always works through free individuals. We try to listen to one another, we try to think, we try to discern what the church needs and to come to some consensus. The Holy Spirit only works through humans and through natural means generally. I've received no special inspiration.
GEORGE NEGUS: It's interesting though you said sometimes the Holy Spirit can get it wrong?
CARDINAL GEORGE PELL: Yes, well there have been bad popes in history.
I'd humbly suggest that if some bad popes have been picked, someone apart from the Holy Spirit may be at fault.