As we send this edition off to press, we don't know yet who the next Pope will be. Although we may have a new Pope by the time this magazine 'reaches you.
Pope Benedict XVI will be remembered as a quiet teacher in a world not used to people speaking in gentle tones. His speeches and encyclicals weren't condemnations of modern society, but rather deep reflections on themes central to our faith. A more retiring personality than his predecessor, Pope Benedict was still as active visiting countries during his pontificate as Pope John Paul II was at the same age. He understood what was required of the leader of the Catholic Church in the modern world, but his surprise resignation was perhaps a sign of the weight of that duty on a man most comfortable thinking and writing.
His retirement provides space for the cardinals to reflect on the challenges the Church faces, and the sort of person needed to shepherd it through this difficult time. Certainly in Australia it has been a difficult few months to be a Catholic. While all of us welcome the Government's announcement of a Royal Commission into the abuse of children and how it was handled in our institutions, it's hard to reconcile the good things that we know Christians can do in the name of God with the evil that we've seen described in the media. There is much healing to be done.
There is a story in this edition about the rebuilding of the Bunbury Cathedral after it was destroyed in a storm in 2005. When they rebuilt the cathedral, they said they wanted it to be a place where everyone in the town felt at home - not just Catholics. The abuse crisis, compounded by declining congregations and changes in social attitudes, has given the Church its own battering over the last decades. But rather than bunkering down, the Church, too, needs to think about how it can reform itself and again become a symbol of something good for all the world's people.
In this edition we talk about how art can helps us re-imagine the symbols of our faith in ways that make sense to today's world. Whether it's electing a new Pope, or determining the best path forward to bring healing to those who have been abused, we do need a creative Spirit to be at work in our Church at this moment. We pray that the Spirit is with us.