Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
God has given me many gifts in life. However, one gift that I clearly lack is that of being a good guesser. Number of jellybeans in a jar? Not a clue. Whether I might need an umbrella or not? I’m usually getting wet. Who the next Pope is going to be? I wouldn’t take my word for it. However, as the College of Cardinals is set to embark upon the sacred task of selecting the newest successor of St. Peter, it’s worth a bit of reflection and prayer on our part, even if we are way off in guessing who that might be.
A Conclave is a special and unique event. And because of the nature of it and how protected the details of its proceedings are, there seems to be quite a bit of intrigue surrounding it. I was extraordinarily fortunate to be in the city of Rome for the last Conclave which resulted in the election of Pope Francis. I was finishing up my degree at the time and as such, was there to see the white smoke go up from St. Peter’s Square. You may have even read some articles written by me that appeared in the Burlington County Times talking about such things. There’s quite a bit of ritual tied to the overall proceedings and a great deal of practicalities that come into play as well.
And so, even before a Conclave can be convened, there is a tremendous amount of ground work that is dealt with ahead of time. There are over 250 Cardinals in the world, but only 135 of them are under the age of 80 and able to be an elector for it. They hail from all over the world and come from a variety of experiences of life and of the Catholic Church. And in the days ahead of the official Conclave come a series of listening sessions in which all the Cardinals are invited to attend and participate in, helping to sketch out the qualities of what the Church needs in the next Pope. Some are more practical, like knowing multiple languages. Others are more ideological in nature, concerning theological tendencies and responding to the current issues that the world presents. And from that, a rough vision emerges of who might be able to take on such a role.
But it’s also a deeply spiritual endeavor. Before the Cardinals are sequestered, there’s a public Mass dedicated to the Election of the Roman Pontiff. It’s an opportunity for the men in red and for the wider Church to pray that the Holy Spirit guide the Electors to find the right person for it. The media may portray things as political. There exists front-runners that are named ‘papabile’ and who you can actually bet on. But at the end of the day, none of that captures the real work of the Holy Spirit and the way a Pope is elected. And so, please remember to pray for the Cardinals in the days ahead.
Peace and Goodness,
Fr. Dan
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