"You mean you don't want to be some gaudy symbol of hope that people print on postcards and quote verbatim in queer communities' newsletters," Matthew observed calmly, blinking slowly as he spoke. It wasn't a question, he was simply stating the function that the Pope served. A public figure of relative importance on the humanitarian front of things that did a bit of peacekeeping and Catholic PR on the side every time another child molestation scandal bubbled to the surface, but who rarely had any impact in most peoples' everyday lives.
"I respect that. But you- your... predecessors. You were called to serve in this capacity. And they've always served as an opiate for the masses." Some bandaid fix for personal crises that people press like a Pez dispenser, expecting a 'peace be with you' message and a couple of hymns for good luck.