Conclave 2025 -- Welcoming a new Pope
Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church will sequester themselves this week to discern and elect the next Pope. I don't know if a thread like this would be better housed in Epiphanies, but since he is a global figure I thought I'd post here first in an attempt to enjoy equal footing for all voices. Perhaps that's naive. I am also not a Roman Catholic, though I do work part time as a RC Parish Musician, and have worked in RC schools and my current RC parish for over a decade. So I am definitely affiliated, but that may not actually count for very much. 
Those disclaimers aside, please feel free to share your thoughts and prayers regarding this historic occasion.
Those disclaimers aside, please feel free to share your thoughts and prayers regarding this historic occasion.
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When I was younger, I used to think the Papacy rotated among regions or continents like the Secretary General of the U.N. I know better, now.
But maybe Franciscan?
The voting British cardinals are all in their later 70s, so its unlikely. My hope is for the next pope to continue with the clear witness given by Francis about caring for those on the margins of the church and society.
I was somewhat astonished by the vox pop on Radio 4 Today with a woman in Rome insisting that the new Pope should focus on "spirituality" and not talk about migrants or climate change.
Pretty standard reactionary Vox Pop on any topic.
Well, you know, it's that woke Jesus crap, isn't it?
I mean, sure. The ascension of a new chief spiritual director for 1.4B people is going to move the 'historical' needle at least a little bit, right? It may be a little histrionic, too, but historical, yeah, at least I think so.
I hope they select a Pope who has "boots on the ground" experience with the poor, indigent, transient and suffering--those most in need of help. I mean, I like my parish pastor a lot. He is a good guy. But let's face it: his flock is strictly middle-class Americans. That is not the background I want for a Pope.
Though it’s a sobering thought that you’ve got to pushing 50 years old to have any memory at all - never mind an adult one - of a Pope from the privileged West…
Benedict was both from the privileged West and a Vatican career insider.
In fairness I *completely* forgot Benedict XVI happened - I went straight from JPII to Francis…
aside from embarrassingly forgetting the German…
I really don’t see how he can - the ‘West’ as a term quite specifically excluded him at least until the wall came down.
As regards the new Pope, a Franciscan would be good. Or maybe a Benedictine?
True, but in current news-speak, *elected* gives the impression of some sort of democratic-ish process, such as we enjoy today...
Words mean whatever the dictionary says they mean
Also it's not uncommon in the UK, and no doubt in other jurisdictions for people to be 'elected' unopposed to various public bodies, which means there was in fact no election.
(Cough ... cough...)
I'll be honest. I do believe in a continuity between pre-Schism early Christianity and its descendants, but I do find some very conservative RC and Orthodox attempts to over-egg that particular pudding rather unconvincing.
Not that this makes me a Protestant but you know what I mean, I think.
In whatever sense Peter was elected to be the first pope, the charge remains the same today.
The new pope has to try to keep in one communion all those who see him as the successor of St Peter AND to keep open lines of communication to all those Christians who are in
at least partial communion with him.
I wasn't disagreeing with you.
If anyone gets "elected" in the Bible, it is surely Matthias, Judas' replacement. But by this time Peter has already emerged as the leader.
No, words have meanings before those meanings are recorded in a dictionary. English dictionaries are typically descriptive, not prescriptive. Words derive meaning from people's uses of them.