New Pope Elected

                                 

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/14/world/europe/new-pope-theologically-conservative-but-with-a-common-touch.html

Cardinal Bergoglio was elected as the new pope on March 13, 2013 after the previous Pope Benedict XVI resigned. Basically, this article gave a brief history of Bergoglio, now Pope Francis's, past; what he did for the poor, the controversies that revolved around his beliefs, ...etc. A journalist said this pope is expected to be 'extremely conservative' based on his ties with Argentinian military rulers.
I have a hard time understanding why the pope even exists at all. I mean, he's supposed to be a holy man and preach goodness to society, but he's just a figure head, right? A figure head that gets to live in luxury, eat the best foods, and get the best healthcare. He comes out a couple times a year during public events and says inspirational things in Latin. Yes, historically speaking, the pope did play a significant role for hundreds of years, with Catholic and Christian leaders all over the world practically bowing at his feet. Now though, the times are changing. Things like same sex marriage that are typically frowned upon by religious societies are becoming more common. Pope Francis, in one instance, described a law that legalized gay marriage as 'a war against God' and 'a maneuver by the devil.' Instead of bringing people together, he's actually victimizing a  large part of society today.