Does the pope have any real political power?
In a way the Pope has considerable power over the Catholic Church and it’s congregation[s]. If for example the Pope were to issue an instruction to all Catholics, then indeed we can see just how powerful the Pope could be. I’m sure that the Pope [known here in UK as the Bishop of Rome] knows his powers and uses them with considerable care. Remember, this is a Pope who had been a member of the Hitler Youth. Got to be careful. Protestants are already sneering at this Pope. Just don’t go down the political road. Leave that to the political elite and the mad mob – we the plebs.
A bit. The Church is primarily a spiritual body. But she is also a moral teacher. If people are going to make moral issues into political ones then they should not complain when the Church uses its freedoms of speech and religion. When you look at the 1.1 billion believers worshiping in over 200,000 parishes worldwide you can see that the Catholic Church is a spiritual entity. However the Church is also a moral teacher and has been teaching the world what it believes God thinks is right and wrong for almost 2,000 years. The Church looks to protect human dignity and human rights and does not for look for political power. Church leaders are barred from political office by Church law (not civil law). Jesus said, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:18-20) The Catholic Church has been teaching world governments what it believes
