The Church should not be intruding in the policies of nations. You are quite correct by my standards, and Ramirez’ cartoon of the Pope at the Pearly Gate brings us the notion so well. However, it is impossible, I believe, for a Church of such scale, (1.4 billion followers, global in scope, the largest non-government provider of education and health services in the world, etc) to not, from time to time, stand against the politics of nations. When Leo advocated for Labour, including unions, opposing factions must have cried out against the interference. The Nazi regime was particularly brutal to dissident priests and the records of Dachau tell us a horrible tale of government vs the Church. Regarding the funny hats, unmarried men and conclaves, one can see those as tradition and the best line is borrowed from Shelby Foote, “Tradition is the skeleton upon which the meat is hung.”