Changing of the guard

Much patience is required - after the media deluge regarding the Schiavo fiasco now we are being inundated by coverage of the Pope's death. For someone passively opposed to organized religion this is both disgusting and edifying. I wonder how many more centuries it will take before individual responsibility for ones' spiritual health will be adopted globally. That's the kind of globalization I would hope for. My idea of a spiritual leader is one that isn't promoting a heirarchical power structure.

Wouldn't it feed a lot of starving Darfur children if everyone clogging Rome would have found a message from His Holiness suggesting that to honor his passing they use the dollars spent, to view a body, for a donation instead? Let me digress further, all those fancy robes and regalia could be auctioned off, say on E-Bay and use the proceeds for sex responsibility education or AIDS treatment programs, even better to fund rehabilitation for any addicted fellow citizens of the globe. And the real property in Rome, that must total up to a healthy balance. Why not give it all to a trust to fund African relief programs?
Aren't I a dreamer -- why can't we re-invent rituals - these have outlived their relevance, in my opinion.