It’s always a mistake for politicians to get into arguments with popes. The symbolism of the papacy for Catholics, and even non-Catholics, around the world is potent. Even today, when religion is generally on the decline in the developed world, the pope still matters. Anyone who asks today, as Soviet dictator Josef Stalin did about one of the current heads of the Catholic Church’s predecessors, “how many divisions” the pope has, is demonstrating their cluelessness. The power of faith and the ability of a spiritual figure to command respect and exercise influence are greater than many think.
