A word from the editor in chief: We have been thinking through the schedule of the conclave and at what times during the day we might expect to see white smoke. (There’s a helpful graphic here, with the times local to Rome, six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern.)
One of the things I have realized in thinking through the schedule is just how long the voting itself takes for any individual ballot. Each of 133 cardinal electors rises, walks forward, attests in Latin that he is casting his vote before God for the one whom he believes should be pope and tips his ballot into the urn. Then the votes are individually counted and recounted and threaded together before they are finally burned and the rest of us, staring at the chimney, have an idea about what is going on.
All of which is to say that we will be doing a lot of waiting over the next couple of days. It feels to me a little like entering a silent retreat, and one thing that always happens to me at the beginning of a retreat is that every available distraction pops up and my interior monologue’s volume gets turned up to 11.
So for these next days of waiting, first and foremost for the cardinals in conclave and then also for all of us: Come, Holy Spirit, bringing wisdom, discernment and patience. – Sam Sawyer, S.J.
Prayers for the cardinal electors as the conclave begins
By JD Long García
Yesterday, we visited the tomb of Pope Francis at Rome’s Basilica of St. Mary Major. For me, Francis choosing that church as his final resting place is a strong reminder of his devotion to the Blessed Mother. He always stopped there before and after his papal trips.
This morning, on my way to St. Peter’s Basilica for the last Mass before the conclave began, I made sure to bring my rosary. I sat in the pews, which in my section were sturdy but plastic chairs, thumbing the beads. I couldn’t bring myself to really pray, though. My mind kept wandering. It is exciting to be here.
About 30 minutes before Mass began, a woman led the congregation in a rosary. She began in Latin, and I assumed the leaders would cycle through more contemporary languages for each decade. But they didn’t.
My Latin is not great, but I could tell it was the Glorious Mysteries. After about the 40th Hail Mary, I got it down more or less. I figure they chose Latin for the rosary, and for much of the Mass, because there are simply too many languages spoken in the church to include them all.
As Mass began, a stream of white mitres processed into the church, many of them cardinals who will elect the next pope. Some of the cardinals—from more than 70 different countries—smiled and waved to people in the congregation. Others seemed preoccupied with the task that lay before them in the coming days.
Many parts of the Mass were in contemporary languages, including Italian, English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Malayalam, German, Swahili and Chinese. It seems I can’t go anywhere in the Vatican without being reminded that this church is universal.
In his homily, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re focused on the message of love in the Gospels, adding that the cardinal electors will choose a successor of Peter who will foster communion.
“This is not a self-referential communion, but one that is entirely directed toward communion among persons, peoples and cultures,” he said.
Cardinal Re, who is 91, will not be joining the cardinal electors in the conclave. At Mass, he entrusted their work to the Blessed Mother and asked for her intercession, “so that the Holy Spirit will enlighten the minds of the cardinal electors and help them agree on the pope that our time needs.” I couldn’t help but think that, in part because of the many Marian apparitions, Catholics around the world recognize Mary as our mother.
Outside of the basilica, I tried to interview people who spoke English or Spanish. A religious sister from Spain, who preferred not to disclose her name, told me simply that she wanted the pope that God wanted and believed that the Holy Spirit would guide the cardinal electors in their discernment.
Then I met a couple from Germany, Annie and Christian, who had planned their trip here before Pope Francis passed away.
“It should be a person who is open to the world,” Christian said, briefly explaining what he would like in the next pope. Annie, who is not Catholic, said: “It’s a great atmosphere here. The city is excited about the vote.”
I also spoke with a Slovakian priest who is in Rome finishing his doctorate. “What is important is to pray for a good pope,” Father Radovan told me, seemingly struggling to find the right words in English. “A pope who can lead the church, who will keep the tradition and who will be like another St. Peter. The pope can be a focus for all who are doubting in this multicultural world. We can help the cardinals with our prayers, to focus on what is best for the church.”
The successor of Peter is a servant for Catholics around the world. Pilgrims, tourists and journalists are all here and anxious to meet him. In the meantime, we can pray for the cardinals and entrust them to our Blessed Mother, who can intercede for them. I think Pope Francis would like that.
Here are the other stories you need to read today:
- Conclave Podcast: Gerry, Sam and Colleen discuss where the cardinals stand going into the conclave. Plus, Zac and Ashley chat with NPR’s Scott Detrow about why the media is so fascinated by the conclave.
- “Unity” was a hot topic at the pre-conclave meetings. The main question, Sam writes, is not whether the church should seek unity—it should and it will—but with what methods.
- This morning, at the Mass “Pro Eligendo Romano Pontifice” (“for the election of the Roman pontiff”) before the conclave, the dean of the College of Cardinals urged his brothers to choose the shepherd the church and all of humanity need “at this difficult and complex and tormented” turning point in history.
