Hope for the Papal Conclave

The upcoming papal conclave has the attention of the world, Catholic and non-Catholic alike. The new pope will be the bishop of Rome and visible leader of the Church on earth. As the 266th successor of St. Peter, the pope is the living symbol of Christian unity and the world’s most popular spiritual leader. At the time of this writing, the chair of St. Peter is vacant and the college of cardinals are about to convene to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to lead them in their discernment of a new pope.

These conclaves remind us that the Church is a Kingdom, not a democracy. It is where Christ the King through His cardinals gives the keys of His Kingdom to the next successor of Peter, as He did with Peter himself in Matthew 16:19:

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Christ the King authorizes His prime minister, the pope, to govern His Kingdom on earth until He comes again.

Regardless of one’s religious belief, it’s difficult not to get excited when the white smoke rises from the Sistine Chapel, signifying a new pope has been selected.

Let’s look at a few basic points about the role of the pope in the Catholic Church:

First, no pope can ever change divine Revelation or natural law – the first being communicated by God through Scripture and Tradition, the second through the order of creation.

It’s futile to hope that a pope will finally capitulate to the modern world’s rebellion against the sixth commandment. No matter how liberal-minded a man may be in his personal upbringing and formation, if he becomes pope, he can never change immutable doctrines on sex, marriage, human life, and the family. The Holy Spirit will never allow it.

This steadfast consistency in the face of contemporary culture is what’s attracting many young converts to Catholicism today, seeing that it’s the only real alternative to a confused and dying world.

We need a pope who fosters this movement without compromise, being a welcoming sign of contradiction to the world (Lk 2:34), and one who remains firm upholding the Gospel in a world that continuously preaches the anti-gospel through mass media, progressive education, and Leftist government.

A pope should illustrate that Catholicism is not ideological or political, but rises above this in reflecting both sides of God: His truth and justice and His compassion and mercy. Divine love includes commandments, yet offers forgiveness and grace to those who repent.

The pope as chief shepherd must be clear and unambiguous in reflecting the voice of the Good Shepherd (Jn 10:11-18), whose words of truth are preserved without error for each generation (Lk 10:16). He must also keep his sheep safe from predators, spiritual and physical. Too many clergy in recent decades have effectively abandoned their flocks by watering down critical moral doctrines in the midst of the world’s secular and sexual revolutions. Additionally, men with deep-seated disordered desires have been allowed to enter the priesthood, gradually causing great scandal throughout the Church. A healthy, virtuous, and faithful priesthood is vital to properly leading the faithful.

This denial and betrayal, whose prototypes are found in the denials and betrayal of Christ’s handpicked apostles Peter and Judas, will challenge the Church on earth until the second coming of Christ.

Tangentially, Catholics aware of the fallen human element within the Church can take solace in the wise words of a 19th century cardinal, who inadvertently reveals the Church’s divine essence. Napoleon Bonaparte threatened this cardinal by boasting that he could destroy the Catholic Church. The cardinal's response was priceless: "Your majesty, we, the clergy, have done our best to destroy the church for the last 1,800 years. We have not succeeded, and neither will you."

Many tyrants and atheistic political movements have failed in their attempts to destroy the Church, for the mystical body of Christ is divinely protected (Mt 16:18). Nevertheless, it’s the hope of faithful Catholics worldwide that the next successor of St. Peter to head the visible Church on earth be of God’s positive will, not just His permissive will.