The Next Pope Checklist: Five Non-Negotiables for the Next Successor of St. Peter

Easter season is a bit bitter after news broke of Pope Francis’s passing. The church is in mourning as his funeral is planned for Saturday, April 26th, 10 AM Vatican time. Catholics have had Masses offered for him and even prayed for his soul.

Then, it was an inopportune time for Protestants and those who continue to spill hatred towards Catholicism or her sacred teachings to jump to conclusions on whether he is in heaven or hell. Let’s say that it’s in God’s hands now. We must do our part to pray for him. In the meantime, we too must pray for the first-ever papal conclave since 2013.

The late Pope Francis has brought the church many lessons to take into consideration as billions of Catholics anxiously await who the 267th successor to St. Peter is. If faithful Catholics can have a say, they would come up with five non-negotiables.

Church Teachings

Fulton Sheen can summarize the first item well when he said, “There are millions, however, who hate what they wrongly believe to be the Catholic Church, which is, of course, quite a different thing.” Pope Francis brought about some confusion.

His successor must clarify what the teachings are and how they must properly be defended, without sugarcoating the catechism. He must consistently preach the truth without compromising to appeal to those who misunderstand the church’s teachings.

Sacred Liturgy and Its Defense

The late Pope Francis has faced some scrutiny on how he has suppressed the Latin Mass, which was supported and restored by his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI. He puts it well as he saw firsthand what would happen following Vatican II, “I am convinced that the crisis in the Church that we are experiencing today is to a large extent due to the disintegration of the liturgy.”

We can only hope that the next pope in line will suppress the Mass that is not pious while building up the Latin Mass, as young people seem to flock to it more and more.

Raising Holy Vocations and Pious Clergy

For years, the Catholic Church has experienced a crisis in vocations in the priesthood, religious, and matrimony. Divorce rates have been high. Seminary classes have gone smaller. Many young adults are discouraged from seeking a vocation due to financial constraints, while the hook-up culture is showing its seeds planted by the Sexual Revolution of the late 1960s.

The solution is not to encourage priests to marry. Rather, it is to encourage more men to pursue it, regardless of what is holding them back, by taking up their cross. Likewise, single men and women called to marriage should prepare for it now. The pope must appeal to young people just as St. John Paul the Great did through many of his teachings.

Pope Francis even elevated some controversial figures to lead dioceses as they have promoted liberation theology and LGBTQ rights while dismissing church teachings. Thankfully, he wanted those LGBTQ Catholics to be blessed individually without supporting same-sex unions.

Coming Down to People

One thing that many admired about Pope Francis was the way he connected with people on a personal level. For instance, he would go to a marginalized group like the homeless and even prisoners.

His successor must carry on the tradition to connect to the isolated and those disenfranchised by the world and society.

Defrocking Clergy Involved With Sex Abuse, Sexual Misconduct, and Heresy

The biggest problem the Catholic Church has endured is the multitude of allegations surfacing over how its bishops handled the sex abuse scandals.

The late Cardinal McCarrick was the epitome of such, yet he denied what he had done while continuing to allow priests to prey on vulnerable children. Thankfully, Pope Francis defrocked him for his actions in 2019.

His successor must take swift action in removing any member of the clergy who attacks young children or even harasses women.

The faithful must pray for the 267th successor to fulfill the criteria above, as he will lead Catholics from the Jubilee of Hope to the 2000th Pentecost, which is 2033.

St. Peter, pray for us.

All you Holy Popes, pray for us.