Confession of An Intentionally Ignorant Conclavist

I confess to brushing aside most coverage of the Conclave, whereby the next Pope of the one, holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church will be determined   Succinctly, my avoidance of the profusion of commentary has nothing to do with the process itself.  Certainly the manner in which tradition has evolved in determining who should lead the Church offers the optimum approach.  The College of Cardinals, representative of every region of the world, gather together, foremost in prayer, with the express purpose of inviting the Holy Spirit to guide them in choosing a Pope.  Is that not the Conclave in a nutshell?

 
However, given the vast network of electronic media and so many theological and cultural “experts”—spokespersons—the field is quite active, abuzz with chatter and commentary, about not just the process, but all the nuances that accompany it.  From the various backgrounds of each Cardinal, including current and past observations regarding pastoral and catechetical strengths and weakness, to personality clashes, viewers and listeners are flooded with numerous impressions over decades of these prelates’ service.

 
Then, from the pragmatic perspective, there is the political, no matter how the Church should skirt hot button issues skimming the secular plane.   The Church is not a political body, and, yet, it is to some extent.  One need not look beyond China to grasp the reality that opposition to authentic Catholicism has scandalized the selection of bishops in that region.  Other considerations rear their ugly heads, as well.  Should the next Pope be an American, someone from a country in Africa, or another previously untapped nation?  And what of a candidate’s world viewpoint?  Is he too liberal or conservative in speech and action?  And, so it goes.

 
Perhaps I am naive, snobbish,  or simply have my head in the sands of the Jordan River bank, but I cannot bring myself to “watch” all the intense coverage of this historic event. I should add that my avoidance of the more in-depth analysis has nothing to do with any lofty attitude.  I can be drawn into the contentious discussions around the topic of the next Pope.  What is truly my business?  So, for my sake, it is best not to venture too far into what for me could be spiritual quicksand.

 
I did select at random a Cardinal for whom to pray, along with all the Cardinals, in general.  And, I glimpse at some of the segments airing on EWTN or in The Loop (Catholic Vote).  I know the first “vote”—find even that term distancing—ended in black smoke rising from the famous chimney.   However, I still choose to rely on the Holy Spirit, as much as possible.

 
Of one thing I am most certain.  Since the time the Apostles had to choose a replacement for Judas the Iscariot, and through all the scandals and confusion that beset the Papacy through Church history, we must depend on God’s word that the gates of hell would not prevail against the Church. (Ref. Matthew 16:18)  Also, the next Pope will be elevated by God’s will, whether it be Divine or permissive.   In other words, we will “get who we get” for the sake of the eternal good though we are unlikely to understand.   I will close by reminding myself that we have experienced extraordinary and saintly Popes along with some questionable Church leaders.   Regardless of who is the next Pope, God already knows from all time, and all is well.  Our Father in Heaven does not expect us to become disproportionately fixed on Rome in that regard.  Trust is required.

 
Most importantly, after the white smoke rises, I pray that we turn our attention to genuine priorities.  In the spirit of subsidiarity and solidarity, we must restore dignity of persons, Holy Matrimony and holy families to rebuild society.  Any Pope can only do so much from the top down, so to speak. 

 
Following my own advice—though I confess to not always accomplishing it— instead of turning to news this morning, I read excerpts from the latest issue of Rosie (Embracing the Beauty of Motherhood) that focuses on growing the domestic church.   So edifying and calming.  Raise solidly Catholic mothers and fathers for the home, and the rest will take care of itself.