The photo above is that of Pope Leo XIV. The scepter he holds in his left hand is known as the Papal “ferula”. Coming as I do from a deeply Catholic family I can tell you that the Catholic Church works very hard on the concept of infallibility, that is, that when the Pope speaks on certain matters, he is correct and there can be no disputing the matter. I come from a different era than most people, and am now older than 83% of the American population. I went to grade school at a time when Catholic doctrine was held as sacred. Our school, even though regular buses were available, invested in its own so that we would not mix with public school kids. They took their job of indoctrination of youth seriously.
“When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.” 1 Corinthians 13:11
Sadly, judging by some extended family members and having attended a couple of class reunions, the hold that the Catholic Church has on people my age is still firm. But as an adult and capable of rational thinking, I know that there is no such thing as infallibility. The Pope is just a man, the President is just a man, in reality, actors. But their public role is to project certainty.
Continue reading “The power of scepters … sometimes the magic works … sometimes not”
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