05 02 25 Vol. 46 No. 35

THELEAVEN.ORG | VOL. 46, NO. 35 | MAY 2, 2025

CONCLAVE

The conclave will begin on May 7.

PAGE 2 | THELEAVEN.ORG

MAY 2, 2025

ARCHBISHOP

Please support the creation of ‘good shepherds’ here at home

Editor’s note: Archbishop Naumann’s column was written before the death of Pope Francis and the subsequent preparations for the conclave.

LIFE WILL BE VICTORIOUS

F

ifty years ago this month, I was ordained to the sacred priesthood for the Archdiocese of St. Louis by Cardinal John Carberry. I have invested the last 20 years of my priesthood as your archbishop.

A profound gratitude fills my heart as I reflect on the amazing things that God has done in northeast Kansas over the past two decades, as well as on the many men and women whose faith in Jesus has edified and supported me from day one.

A bishop has many serious responsibilities. However, in my estimation, the most important duty I have as a bishop — and have done as your archbishop — is to ordain men to the priesthood.

Its importance is largely a matter of geography and population. The archdiocese is over 12,000 square miles, serving 182,000 Catholics, with a total population of 1.3 million people for whose souls I am responsible.

By myself, I can only do so much, but each of our priests touches the lives of thousands, or tens of thousands, or even more. Numbers aside, the point is rather simple: Without priests, there is no Mass, and if there is no Mass, there is no Eucharist.

Later this month, only days before you receive your new archbishop, it will be my great joy to ordain Deacons Will Carey, Cesar Gomez and Dan Mauro to the priesthood, and John Donart, Bob Rooney and Will Sutherland to the transitional diaconate.

Holy orders is considered a sacrament “at the service of communion” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1534). Therefore, a man is not called to the

ARCHBISHOP JOSEPH F. NAUMANN priesthood simply for himself, but rather for the salvation of others.

He is called to make of his life a sacrifice and gift for the building up of the church. And through this sacrificial gift of self, the priest also finds his own salvation and fulfillment.

Therefore, the priesthood is both a gift to the man who is ordained, and it is a gift to the church, which extends the body of Christ through space and time in the power of the Holy Spirit.

“I will give you shepherds after my own heart” (Jer 3:15). Even in this Old Testament prophecy, we hear that God will never leave us without shepherds.

God is ever faithful to this promise. This has been true throughout the history of the church, as well as in my experience here in Kansas City. Shepherds protect, feed and guide their flocks. The sheep would be lost without them.

In addition to the men I have ordained, I have been blessed to serve alongside priests who were already in service when I arrived, as well as many other priests — diocesan and religious, American and foreign — whose shepherdly (or “pastoral”) ministry has taught me so much about what it means to be a shepherd.

This reminds me of a principal theme from the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), that we are not saved simply as isolated individuals, but rather as a people, or even more as a family. Or, we might say we are saved

as a flock, gathered into one by Jesus, “the great shepherd of the sheep” (Heb 13:20).

On Sunday, May 11, the Fourth Sunday of Easter, the universal church celebrates World Day for Vocations. It is also Good Shepherd Sunday. We will read from Chapter 10 of the Gospel of John, where Jesus calls himself the “good shepherd” who lays down his life for his sheep. He protects his sheep from those who would harm them, he feeds them the living bread from heaven and he leads them into the fullness of life. Priests have the awesome privilege of participating in this ministry of Jesus as they meet the spiritual needs of their people.

On that Sunday, we will be making our annual Good Shepherd Appeal. This appeal takes the form of a second collection that funds our efforts to promote, form and support vocations to the priesthood, permanent diaconate and religious life.

There is so much that goes into this effort.

Formation (both seminary and permanent diaconate) is much different today than it was 50 years ago. The culture is obviously much different. Those who are entering formation need more time than ever before to “recover” or “detox” from the long-term effects of our American culture.

Some of these cultural influences include an instant gratification mentality, a misplaced emphasis on achievement and self-reliance, a broken vision of sexuality and marriage, and disordered

interests fueled by modern technology.

It now takes 7-9 years of pre-ordination formation for a young man preparing for the priesthood, at an average of a little more than $50,000 per seminarian per year. Our formation must take into account the fact that the ethnic landscape of the archdiocese has become more diverse, including English, Hispanic, Burmese, Vietnamese and African communities, from inner city to suburban to rural areas, as well as special-needs communities.

In addition to seminary training that runs during the academic year, we also provide summer formation opportunities such as language immersion, intensive spiritual formation and mission activities. For the men in formation for the priesthood, we offer counseling and other health-related services to support a balanced, healthy lifestyle.

Lastly, we have an “angel fund” to assist seminarians with any emergency needs that may arise.

In support of the effort to encourage vocations, the archdiocesan vocation office offers amazing programs and retreats to allow young people to “come and see” (Jn 1:39).

Programs include Project Andrew, The Master’s Cup, special participation in the Chrism Mass and the Avila “High Calling” program to accompany young men in their discernment.

The vocation office offers a “Quo Vadis” retreat for young men considering the priesthood, which averages over 80 retreatants each year. The relatively new Love’s Reply retreat for young women considering consecrated religious life now averages more than 60 retreatants per year. In addition, the vocation office provides staffing, books and materials to help accompany and support young people every step of the discernment journey.

However, the

President Most Rev. Joseph F. Naumann

Publication No. (ISSN0194-9799) Published weekly September through May, excepting the Friday the week after Thanksgiving, and the Friday after Christmas; biweekly June through August. Address communications to: The Leaven, 12615 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, KS 66109. Phone: (913) 721-1570; or email at: sub@ theleaven.org. Postmaster: Send address changes to The Leaven, 12615 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, KS 66109. For change of address, provide old and new address and parish. Subscriptions $25/year. Periodicals postage paid at Kansas City, KS 66109.

Editor Rev. Mark Goldasich, stl frmark.goldasich@theleaven.org

Senior Reporter/Social Media Editor Moira Cullings moira.cullings@theleaven.org

ARCHBISHOP NAUMANN’S CALENDAR May 3 Knights of Columbus state convention — Wichita May 5 Catholic Charities Golf Classic — Canyon Farms Golf Club, Lenexa Confirmation — St. Michael the Archangel, Leawood May 6 Administrative Team meeting — chancery May 7 Donnelly College board meeting — Donnelly Confirmation — St. John Paul II, Olathe May 8 Confirmation — Prince of Peace, Olathe May 10 Donnelly College Commencement Foster Care Mass and dinner — Prince of Peace, Olathe

work is not over once men are ordained as priests. We provide ongoing formation and support for our priests and deacons, including continuing education, retreats, convocations and workshops, as well as an additional quarterly formation gathering for newly ordained priests.

Our priests spend themselves in service to Christ and his church. As a matter of justice, the church should provide for their needs in their retirement, when their days of active ministry are complete. One way we are doing that is through Vianney House, an independent living residence for retired priests.

Our Good Shepherd Appeal also supports our permanent diaconate program.

Our deacons assist our priests in whatever ways they are able — akin to sheepdogs for shepherds — and they have a particular solicitude for those who fall through the cracks — especially the sick, elderly, poor, imprisoned and forgotten. Our excellent six-year formation program provides spiritual, theological, pastoral and liturgical formation that enables tomorrow’s deacons to

serve all people with the heart of Christ the Servant.

May 11 is also Mother’s Day, and any reflection on my own experience as a priest and shepherd necessarily includes profound gratitude for the love and faithful witness of my own mother. Whatever good that has resulted from my priestly ministry is truly the fruit of my father’s and mother’s vocation of Christian marriage.

The work of calling forth and nurturing vocations involves the whole church, but especially families, the seedbed of vocations.

I am always so encouraged when I meet throughout the archdiocese young families that take seriously their role as “domestic churches.”

Lastly, I entrust the next generation of vocations to the maternal intercession of our archdiocesan patroness, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Priests, as well as to our secondary patron, St. John Vianney. May Our Lady’s words at the visitation resonate in our own hearts this Easter season: “He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.”

Managing Editor Anita McSorley anita.mcsorley@theleaven.org

Production/Business Manager Todd Habiger todd.habiger@theleaven.org

Advertising Coordinator Beth Blankenship beth.blankenship@theleaven.org

Reporter John Sorce john.sorce@theleaven.org

MAY 2, 2025

THELEAVEN.ORG | PAGE 3

CONCLAVE

Please fasten your seatbelts, it’s about to get turbulent

I

liked him. I really liked him. I really, really liked him.

I’m talking about Pope Francis. When my Apple Watch buzzed early on Easter Monday morning, I couldn’t believe the notification. I thought that maybe I wasn’t reading things clearly without my glasses. But the news was true: The pope had died. I broke down and cried because I knew how much I’d miss him.

So many others have stated more eloquently his impact on the church and the world. You read some of those tributes in last week’s special issue of The Leaven.

I had to say something here, though, about how deeply he touched me. Most challenging were his observations about how we’ve become such a “consumerist” and “throwaway” culture. I stand guilty.

I’ve spent much of my life thinking that my “wants” were actually “needs.” And that’s led to an overabundant lifestyle at the expense of the poor. (Oh, how easy to hit that “order” button online without a second thought.)

Thanks to Pope Francis, I’m starting to hear more clearly the cries of the poor — people we often treat as “throwaways.” Money selfishly spent on my wants is now being channeled much more often to those who genuinely have needs.

His simple lifestyle, like choosing to live in the Vatican guesthouse instead of the Apostolic

Editor’s note

MARK MY WORDS

FATHER MARK GOLDASICH Father Mark is the pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Tonganoxie.

He has been editor of The Leaven since 1989.

Palace, has inspired me to pare down my possessions.

His concern for the environment made me aware of how I waste resources like water, food, electricity and gas. I’m much more conscious now of conservation and recycling, to leave a better world for those who will come after me.

Whenever I’m tempted to complain about demands from people not on the parish roster or who rarely darken the church door, I hear Pope Francis’ voice calling me to generously head to the “peripheries” and serve all who are in need with kindness and mercy.

When I want to shake my fist and scream at all that’s wrong in the world, Pope Francis reminds me that I’m to be a pilgrim of hope and do all that I can to bring a sense of joy to folks walking about in despair and darkness.

These aren’t pro-

found thoughts, but they’re heartfelt. All I can say is: Thank you, Pope Francis, for your wisdom and witness.

You’ve made me a better man, a better Christian and a better priest.

So, what’s next for the church? This issue of The Leaven explores in detail the process of electing a new pope, known as a conclave.

Although an exciting process, thank God it’s not a frequent one.

Back in the early summer of 1978, I’d just finished my first year of theology at the North American College in Rome.

While I was studying for a couple of months in Staufen, Germany, Pope Paul VI died on Aug. 6. I was saddened by that but also bummed to miss out on a conclave since I still had another month of German study to go.

Not only did I miss out on the conclave that elected Pope John Paul I, I also missed his entire papacy! Sadly, after only 33 days, he died, and another conclave was convened.

Well, I didn’t miss this one. I was in St. Peter’s Square the evening of Oct. 16, 1978, when Pope John Paul II was elected and

PHOTO BY STEFANO SPAZIANI

Father Mark Goldasich talks about how Pope Francis influenced him — as a priest and a person. introduced. I’ll never forget the confusion as Italians around me were stunned that a Polish cardinal — “Yes, from Poland!” they kept saying — was elected pope, the first time a non-Italian would be the Successor of St. Peter in 455 years. (His redeeming feature, though, for those Italians was that “he’d studied in Rome” and came out on the balcony speaking in Italian.)

My, how things have changed since then.

No one in the square that night had a “telefonino” (cellphone) or a tablet — since they weren’t yet invented.

We only knew “the players” by consulting a hard copy of L’Osservatore Romano, the daily newspaper of

Vatican City State, that had photos and brief biographical information on each of the 111 cardinal-electors.

There were also no huge video screens in the square, so you had to just squint to try and see the new pope.

Just as the world has changed technologically since then, so too has journalism. Everything happens now at a breakneck pace. Our special — unexpected — issue last week on Pope Francis was compiled in two days (Monday and Tuesday) so we could get it to the printer by our normal deadline. And the next few weeks will be at least as crazy.

We’re one of maybe two diocesan newspapers dealing not only with the installation of

Welcome Archbishop Shawn McKnight to the archdiocese with a congratulatory ad in The Leaven

T

he Leaven is preparing a special edition to commemorate the installation of Archbishop-designate Shawn McKnight. Those interested in placing a congratulatory advertisement in the May 30 issue of The Leaven to welcome the new shepherd of the Catholic Church in northeast Kansas should send an email to: todd.habiger@theleaven.org by May 9 to reserve your space. Deadline to submit finished ads (high resolution PDFs are preferred) is May 16. Space is limited.

Listed below are ad sizes and rates: • Full page (10” wide by 15.5” tall) — $1,892 • Half page (10” wide by 7.5” tall) — $946 • Quarter page (5” wide by 7.5” tall) — $473 • Eighth page (5” wide by 3.75” tall) — $239

The pace of change in both the local and the universal church in recent weeks has upended The Leaven’s usual spring schedule.

Please bear with us. All the coverage you are used to seeing at this time of year will resume just as soon as we are able. In the meantime, you’re missing out if you’re not following The Leaven (@ theleavenkc) on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X, where we are featuring everything from photos of Archbishop Shawn McKnight’s visit to various ministries in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas last week, to stories on preparations for the May 7 conclave in Rome.

a new pope this month, but also with the installation of a new archbishop. So, the next few issues of the paper will look different. Please be patient with our staff . . . and send some prayers our way as well! You can keep up with things in the meantime by following us on social media. (See the sidebar.)

Shirley Chisholm, the first Black U.S. congresswoman, once said, “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.”

Since no cardinal invited us to the conclave table, let us be your folding chair!

PAGE 4 | THELEAVEN.ORG

All eyes turn to Rome K

By John Sorce john.sorce@theleaven.org

ANSAS CITY, Kan. — As the Catholic Church continues to mourn the loss of Pope Francis, it also looks ahead to the upcoming conclave with anticipation.

The Leaven asked some archdiocesan Catholics for their thoughts on the conclave, their memories of past popes and their hopes for the future.

CONCLAVE Q. Are you trying to keep up with

the developments in Rome and in the days ahead, will you be following the preparations for the conclave?

“Yes, I’m following the developments with interest. I attended a packed Mass that our parish priest, Father Carter Zielinski, held for the Holy Father. I receive a daily message from a reliable Catholic news source.”

– Cindy Durbin parishioner of Sacred Heart, Emporia, and retired educator

“Yes, I have been following along on EWTN and I’m familiar with the process of the conclave. As a child growing up in the church, I have experienced the different processes that go along with the conclave.”

– Gary Washington parishioner of Our Lady & St. Rose, Kansas City, Kansas, Knight of Peter Claver, and a police sergeant

MAY 2, 2025

Q. Can you remember the first

time you heard a pope had been elected? Which pope was it and what was that moment like for you?

“Pope Benedict XVI was the first pope election I remember in my lifetime. I was a baby when John Paul II was elected in October of 1978.”

– Michaela Comstock parishioner and communications coordinator at St. Ann, Prairie Village

“The first time I heard about a new pope was with St. John Paul II and even [though] I was little, I remember my parents being so excited and talking to us about the white smoke, which made more sense to me when I saw it with Pope Francis. I remember that I was so excited and amazed to experience that.”

— Veronica Olivarez parishioner of St. Paul, Olathe, and director of religious education at Good Shepherd, Shawnee

Q. Have you watched the cover-

Q. What qualities do you hope to see in the next pope?

“I remember when Pope Francis’ papacy was announced. I was an eighth grader at Sacred Heart in Shawnee. During class time, we had televisions running, awaiting the announcement of our next Holy Father. It was something I never thought I would experience at such a young age, as I did not anticipate the retirement of Pope Benedict XVI. Experiencing the election of Pope Francis and seeing the excitement in the crowd in Vatican City was something I will never forget.”

— Molly McKeithan parishioner of Sacred Heart, Tonganoxie, and advancement director at the St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center, Lawrence

“In today’s world of constant distraction and instant gratification, many young people have lost their sense of wonder and don’t realize the beauty and necessity of our faith. I want the next pope to have a love of the beauty and wonder of the Catholic faith and show the world that this isn’t just a set of rules to follow, but rather an exciting, intricate and wonderful love story between the soul and Christ.”

– Charles Rziha parishioner of St. Benedict Church in Atchison and senior at Maur Hill-Mount Academy, Atchison

age of past conclaves on TV and do you expect to do so this time?

“I remember being shocked with the rest of the Catholic world when Pope John Paul I passed away after only a 33-day papacy in the late 1970s. When Pope John Paul II was elected, I remember the white smoke and all the celebrations. When Pope John Paul II passed away, I was teaching in an Emporia public school. All classrooms had televisions, and I watched his funeral Mass most of the day.”

– Durbin

“I hope that the new pope would never allow political and nonspiritual points of view interfere with any decisions he would have to make.”

—Winder McConnell parishioner of Sacred Heart, Tonganoxie, and former professor of German at the University of California-Davis

MAY 2, 2025

Q. Do you find the conclave a good chance to learn more about the church and the history of our faith?

“Yes, a lot of non-Catholics have had a lot of questions, and it has provided an opportunity for teaching and evangelization.”

– Andrew Tomsche parishioner of Sacred Heart, Emporia, and campus missionary director of Didde Catholic Campus Center, Emporia

“Yes, conclaves do not occur very often so when they do, it is a time for pause to reflect on our faith, and in particular, papal succession.”

– Gus Torrez parishioner of Most Pure Heart of Mary, Topeka, and retired IT employee for the state of Kansas

Q. Is there a particular pope — past or present — who has deeply inspired you? What about him moved you?

“Pope Francis has been one of my greatest inspirations in faith. He has loved the outsider and has found ways to make them feel seen, known, heard and loved. As many young Catholics leave the church every year, I found his message of love and acceptance to bring hope. He has helped many people, like me, feel like there is a place for them in the church and that the time, talent and treasure that they have to offer are gifts from God that can be used to glorify him.”

– McKeithan

“The pope that has most inspired me, along with countless others, is my patron and namesake, St. Pope John Paul. This holy man had a passion, fire and love for Christ that was so visible to all that he encountered. He showed to millions of young and old Catholics that ‘it is Jesus that you seek when you dream of happiness; he is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you.’”

– Anna Rziha parishioner of St. Benedict, Atchison, and junior at Maur Hill-Mount Academy

THELEAVEN.ORG | PAGE 5

CONCLAVE Q. If you could sit down for five minutes with the new pope, what would you say or ask?

“I would tell him to continue to promote peace, love and unity. I think we really need peace right now, in terms of where we are at in many areas in the world, and we need to have a strong, dedicated and committed religious leader. We are also losing young people, and I would want to discuss some strategies that we could do within the church to reclaim some of those young people who were raised as Catholics but are no longer practicing the faith.”

– Washington

Q. Do you think it’s important for the next pope to come from a particular part of the world? Why or why not?

“I do not think it is important for the pope to come from a particular part of the world. We are Catholic, which means that we are universal. The fact that the pope could come from basically anywhere is an aspect that I think really displays that universality. If it is God’s will that a certain cardinal should be the pope, then it truly does not matter where he is from.”

— Clare Trotter parishioner of St. Benedict Church, Atchison, and junior at Maur Hill-Mount Academy

Q. If it were up to you to

choose the name of the new pope, what name would you ask him to take and why?

“If the pope asked me to choose his name, I would ask him to take the name of Joseph. I say this because Joseph was the protector of the Holy Family and was Christ’s earthly father. This is significant because for our church today, the pope is the ‘head’ of our church, our Holy Father, just as Joseph was the head of his family, the Holy Family. Both of their roles are to protect their families, and to guide them to the truth.”

– Anna Rziha

Special terms used during the period between popes ‘Sede vacante’

General congregations

Dioceses are also called sees. The Latin for “when the see is vacant” is “sede vacante.” When the vacant see is the pope’s Diocese of Rome, all major church decisions, such as new legislation or the appointment of bishops, stop until a new pope is elected.

Only ordinary business and matters that cannot be postponed can be conducted by the College of Cardinals.

All cardinals who are able to go to Rome attend the general congregations, which are daily meetings in which the College of Cardinals prepares for a conclave, discusses the needs of the church and handles more serious church business that must be attended to between popes. Cardinals over 80 may participate in these meetings but are not required to. General congregations end when the cardinals enter into conclave.

Interregnum The period between popes is called an interregnum — “between reigns” — even though St. Paul VI set aside many of the regal trappings of the papacy and references to a papal “reign” gradually fell into disuse. Pope Paul inaugurated his ministry in 1963 with a coronation, then set aside the papal tiara. It was the last time a pope wore the beehiveshaped tiara, a triple crown.

Conclave A meeting of cardinals to elect a new pope is a conclave. The word — from the Latin “cum clave” (“with key”) — means under lock and key.

In 1268, cardinals couldn’t decide on a new pope. After nearly three years, the people finally locked them up and cut their rations. The man elected, Pope Gregory X, ordered that in the future, cardinals be sequestered from the start, and eventually the practice became normative.

Camerlengo U.S. Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell, as camerlengo, or chamberlain of the Holy Roman Church, assisted by the vice chamberlain and a canonical adviser, is in charge of safeguarding the temporal goods of the church and its temporal rights during the interregnum. The chamberlain heads a threemember commission that oversees physical preparations for the conclave and leads what is called a “particular congregation” to conduct the minor day-to-day business of the Vatican until a new pope is elected.

Dean of the College of Cardinals Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re is the current dean. As dean, he calls the cardinals to Rome and presides over their daily meetings before the conclave. Because Cardinal Re is over 80 and ineligible to enter the conclave, the dean’s duties inside the Sistine Chapel will be handled by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the top-ranking cardinal-bishop of those under 80. Inside the chapel, Cardinal Parolin will administer the oath of secrecy and preside over the conclave.

When a candidate achieves a two-thirds majority vote, Cardinal Parolin asks the candidate if he accepts the election and what name he will take.

Cardinal-electors Only cardinals under the age of 80 on the day the “sede vacante” begins can enter a conclave and vote for a pope. Even if he is retired from other church posts, if a cardinal is under 80, he is considered an active cardinal for the purposes of the conclave.

Particular congregations Between popes, the church’s camerlengo and three other cardinals chosen by lot handle the day-to-day business of the Holy See in daily meetings called particular congregations.

These continue while the cardinals are in conclave. Every three days, three new cardinals are chosen by lot to assist the camerlengo.

‘Extra omnes’ The Latin command, “all outside,” orders everyone who is not authorized to be in the Sistine Chapel during the conclave to leave before the conclave starts.

Secrecy Cardinals take two oaths of secrecy not to reveal to anyone anything directly or indirectly related to the election of the pope. The first oath is taken the first day a cardinal joins the general congregation; the second, at the start of the conclave. The few non-cardinals authorized to assist the cardinals while they are in conclave also take an oath of secrecy.

Scrutineers These are three cardinals, chosen by lot at the start of a conclave, to oversee the depositing of the marked, folded ballots for pope into an urn.

They shake the urn, count the ballots to assure the number of votes and voters matches, then open each ballot and record and read aloud the name on it. They add the votes cast for each candidate to determine if a pope has been elected and handle the burning of the ballots and any notes taken by cardinals.

‘Infirmieri’ Three cardinals are chosen by lot at the start of a conclave to oversee conclave voting by any cardinal-electors who are too ill or infirm to sit through the conclave sessions in the Sistine Chapel. On each ballot, after depositing their votes in an urn, they go together to the sick cardinals with blank ballots and a locked box in which the completed ballots can be placed through a slit. They return to the conclave and deliver the votes.

Revisers Three cardinals, chosen by lot at the start of a conclave, recount and verify each round of balloting for the election of a pope.

PAGE 6 | THELEAVEN.ORG

MAY 2, 2025

CONCLAVE

Where there’s white smoke there’s a pope.

When to watch

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

V

ATICAN CITY (CNS) — The cardinals who enter the Sistine Chapel May 7 to elect a new pope use smoke signals to communicate with the outside

PHOTO COURTESY OF FATHER DANIEL MCCARTHY, OSB

Father Daniel McCarthy, OSB, met Pope Francis on May 7, 2022. Father Daniel is a monk of St. Benedict’s Abbey in Atchison. He’s lived in Rome for all but five years since 1999, where he works on the liturgy faculty at The Pontifical Athenaeum of Sant’Anselmo.

Atchison monk will watch for white smoke

By Moira Cullings moira.cullings@theleaven.org

R

OME — Father Daniel McCarthy, OSB, remembers the moment Pope Benedict XVI was elected on April 19, 2005.

“I ran upriver and across to be in the piazza when Benedict was announced,” said Father Daniel.

“It was pretty exciting,” he continued. “You’re there as [the church is] making history. There was this whole crowd and everyone’s listening. Everyone wants to know who it is.

“And all the bells all over town are ringing because they mark a change of pontificate.”

Father Daniel is a monk of St. Benedict’s Abbey in Atchison. He’s lived in Rome for all but five years since 1999, where he works on the liturgy faculty at The Pontifical Athenaeum of Sant’Anselmo.

He was in London for the Easter holiday when Pope Francis died on April 21 and expected the city to be bustling when he returned before the conclave.

“The excitement is having all the cardinals come,” he said. “They’ll be in town, and they’ll be at dinners out at restaurants.

“I don’t know if we’ll have any guests at Sant’Anselmo in our guest quarters. We normally don’t host cardinals, but [at] the [Pontifical] North American College in Rome, where our seminarians live, they have quarters just for the American cardinals.”

The atmosphere around the Vatican had already been full of energy before the pope passed away, said Father Daniel.

“This is a Holy Year, and Rome has been expecting 35 million pilgrims just for the Holy Year on top of tourists,” he said. “The city’s becoming very full.”

Father Daniel arrived in London on Holy Saturday and didn’t expect the pope to pass away since he was out

CNS PHOTO/PAUL HARING

Pope Francis leads a service at the Basilica of Sant’Anselmo before celebrating Ash Wednesday Mass at the Basilica of Santa Sabina in Rome March 6, 2019.

I RAN UPRIVER AND ACROSS TO BE IN THE PIAZZA WHEN BENEDICT WAS ANNOUNCED. IT WAS PRETTY EXCITING. YOU’RE THERE AS [THE CHURCH IS] MAKING HISTORY. FATHER DANIEL MCCARTHY, OSB

and about the day before.

“He insisted on greeting people, and it’s so lovely that he did,” said Father Daniel. “He came to greet all the faithful and pilgrims at Easter Sunday liturgy.”

Father Daniel met Pope Francis during an anniversary celebration for Sant’Anselmo on May 7, 2022.

“I asked him to pray for my brother Mike who underwent open heart surgery the next day,” he said. “His

prayer was a consolation to my brother, his wife Eleanor and myself.”

It wasn’t the first time Father Daniel had come close to a pope.

Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI both visited Sant’Anselmo for special Ash Wednesday liturgies.

“The tradition is that the pope comes to Sant’Anselmo where I live and says a prayer,” he said, “and then, we all walk with him in procession to Santa Sabina, where he presides at the Eucharist with the distribution of ashes.”

“One of the reasons they do the liturgy like this in different places around town is because the pope is pastor, in a sense, of the whole city,” he said.

Father Daniel hoped the next pope would have a pastoral care for the people and looked forward to how the conclave would play out.

“Each pope made a contribution to the ongoing life of the church,” he said. “I look forward to the gift the next pope will bring.”

world.

Black smoke indicates they have cast their votes without anyone garnering the necessary two-thirds majority, while white smoke confirms that the Catholic Church has a new pope.

The best time to be in St. Peter’s Square to see the smoke is just after 7 p.m. on May 7, the first day of the conclave; and on the following days at 10:30 a.m. and noon, and again at 5:30 p.m. and just after 7 p.m.

Predicting when the smoke will rise from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel is not an exact science. The time needed for the cardinals’ prayers, discussions and vote counting can vary.

The rules for a conclave are contained in the apostolic constitution, “Universi Dominici Gregis” (“Shepherd of the Lord’s Whole Flock”), which was issued by St. John Paul II in 1996 and amended by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007 and again in 2013.

After the cardinals process into the Sistine Chapel to start the conclave and take their oaths of secrecy, the papal master of liturgical ceremonies proclaims “extra omnes” (“everyone out”), and the cardinals listen to 90-year-old Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, who they chose to offer a meditation “concerning the grave duty incumbent on them and thus on the need to act with right intention for the good of the Universal Church.”

After that, there are prayers and an explanation of the rules for the election of a pope.

Then, the cardinals decide whether they want to cast their first ballots that same evening. The cardinals chose to have a first ballot in the evening during the 2005 conclave that elected Pope Benedict and the 2013 conclave that elected Pope Francis.

The cardinals’ ballots, mixed with a chemical coloring, are burned in a stove in the Sistine Chapel.

In 2005, the black smoke from the first ballot was seen at 8:05 p.m. In 2013, black smoke from the first ballot was spotted at 7:41 p.m.

On the second day of the conclave and moving forward, there can be four rounds of voting each day, but only two smoke signals. That is because if the first ballot of the morning or of the afternoon session does not result in an election, a second vote begins immediately, and the two ballots are burned together.

During the conclave that elected Pope Francis, the set schedule called for the cardinals to celebrate Mass each morning at 8:15 a.m. in the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace and then go into the Sistine Chapel at 9:30 a.m. After a brief prayer, the first ballot of the day was to be cast, meaning that if a pope were elected, the smoke would be seen at about 10:30 a.m.

If no candidate received the required twothirds of the votes, the cardinals would vote again and the two ballots would be burned at about noon, before the cardinals were to return to the Domus Sanctae Marthae for lunch and an afternoon break.

If this conclave follows the schedule set in 2013, the cardinals would return to the Sistine Chapel at 4 p.m. and continue voting. If someone were to be elected on the first afternoon ballot, the smoke would be visible at about 5:30 p.m. If no one were elected, the smoke from evening ballots would come shortly before the cardinals were to return to the Domus Sanctae Marthae at about 7:30 p.m. for dinner and to sleep.

MAY 2, 2025

THELEAVEN.ORG | PAGE 7

CONCLAVE

Does the Holy Spirit choose the pope?

By Jill Ragar Esfeld jill.esfeld@theleaven.org

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s we pray for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis, we must also pray for the election of our next pope — particularly for the cardinal electors as they discern God’s will.

The church does not teach that the Holy Spirit chooses the pope directly.

The cardinals, through spiritual discernment, elect a new pope; and they need the support of the lay faithful in making that choice.

Prior to the conclave, the cardinals will gather for a special morning Mass at the Vatican “invoking the guidance of the Holy Spirit in electing the new pope,” according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

During the conclave, the cardinals continue to invoke the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit does not override free will. Therefore, each cardinal remains free to exercise his own judgment.

And because the College of Cardinals is a human creation, any one of the cardinal electors can succumb to influences — personal, political or financial — that are outside the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

In 1997, when asked on Bavarian television whether or not the Holy Spirit chooses the pope, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger answered: “I would not say so, in the sense that the Holy Spirit picks out the pope. . . . I would say that the Spirit does not exactly take control of the affair, but rather like a good educator, as it were, leaves us much space, much freedom, without entirely abandoning us.

“Thus the Spirit’s role should be understood in a much more elastic sense — not that he dictates the candidate for

T LEAVEN FILE PHOTO BY DOUG HESSE

The Holy Spirit, as depicted here in a stained glass window at St. Joseph of the Valley Church in Leavenworth, does not directly choose the pope. During the conclave, the cardinals invoke the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit does not override free will. Therefore, each cardinal remains free to exercise his own judgment.

Prayer for the election of a new pope O God, eternal shepherd, who govern your flock with unfailing care, grant in your boundless fatherly love a pastor for your church who will please you by his holiness and to us show watchful care.

Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

whom one must vote. Probably the only assurance he offers is that the thing cannot be totally ruined. There are too many contrary instances of popes the

Holy Spirit obviously would not have picked!”

And during Pope Benedict’s final address to the College of Cardinals on the day his resignation took effect he said: “Before I say ‘goodbye’ to you personally, I would like to tell you that I shall continue to be close to you with prayers, especially in these coming days, so that you may be completely docile to the action of the Holy Spirit in the election of the new pope. May the Lord show you the one whom he wants.”

None of the cardinals is a perfect conduit of the Holy Spirit — only Jesus was — so ego and human will may interfere with each’s ability to discern the will of God. This is why the cardinals need our prayers in the conclave, asking for an outpouring of guidance from the Holy Spirit.

Papal curiosities about age, firsts and lasts

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

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ATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis made history with his election in 2013 as the first Latin American — as well as the first Jesuit — ever elected.

He was elected at the age of 76, which seemed counterintuitive after what Pope Benedict XVI had said when announcing his resignation just 30 days prior. The 85-yearold German pope had said that “both strength of mind and body are necesPope Leo X was sary” to carry out elected before he the papal miniswas even a priest. try in the modern world.

Pope Benedict was elected in 2005, just after his 78th birthday. Of the 103 popes whose exact age at election is known, Pope Benedict and Pope Francis were two of 18 churchmen elected bishop of Rome while between the ages of 71 and 80.

Ambrogio Piazzoni, then-vice prefect of the Vatican Library and author of a book on the history of papal elections, distributed a sheet of “some

Flood of news is cause for rejoicing

curiosities” about the elections to reporters in 2013, after Pope Benedict announced his resignation and before Pope Francis was elected.

On the topic of the age of the pope at election, he said: • Three popes were under the age of 25. The last was Pope Gregory V, who was 24 when elected in 996.

• Seven were between 25 and 40 years old. The last was Pope Leo X, who was 37 in 1513.

• Eleven were between 41 and 50.

The last was Pope Clement VII, who was elected in 1523 at the age of 44.

• 24 popes were in their 50s. The most recent was St. John Paul II, who was 58 years old when he began his papal ministry in 1978.

• 37 were between 61 and 70 years old. The last was Pope John Paul I, who was 65 when he began his 33-day papacy in 1978.

• Only three popes were over 80 when elected. The last, chosen by cardinals in 1406, was Pope Gregory XII. He was 81.

FAMOUS LASTS Piazzoni also provided a list of “lasts”: • The last pope who was not a cardinal yet when elected was Pope Urban VI in 1378.

• The last who was not even a priest yet was Pope Leo X. • The last born in Rome was Pope Pius XII, elected in 1939. He was also the last serving Vatican secretary of state elected.

• The last African was Pope Gelasius, elected in 492.

• The last native of Dalmatia, an ancient Roman province, was Pope John IV in 640.

• The last Frenchman elected was Pope Gregory XI, in 1370.

• The last Greek was Pope Zachary in 741.

• The last Englishman was Pope Adrian IV in 1154.

• The last Italian was Pope John Paul I. • The last Dutchman was Pope Adrian VI in 1522.

• The last Palestinian was Pope Theodore in 642.

• The last Pole was Pope John Paul II in 1978.

• The last Portuguese was Pope John XXI in 1276.

• The last Syrian was Pope Gregory III in 731.

• The last Spaniard was Pope Alexander VI in 1492.

• The last German was Pope Benedict XVI. When he was elected in 2005, it had been 950 years since a German — Pope Victor II — had been elected.

he recent passing of Pope Francis gave me a wonderful opportunity to reminisce.

During Easter week 20 years ago, our beloved Pope John Paul II (“JPII”) was at the threshold of death. I was a lay representative at a conference for religious at Mundelein Seminary in Chicago that week.

It was a singular privilege to pray for our Holy Father during his final days.

He passed away on Easter Saturday, April 2, 2005.

JPII was pope for a very long time. We had not had a conclave to elect a new DEACON LEON pope since the 1970s. It SUPRENANT was hard to Deacon Leon Suprenant is gauge how the co-director of the office of long it would the permanent diaconate. He take for the may be reached at: leons@ cardinals to archkck.org. select the next successor of St. Peter.

While this was unfolding, I went away to a planning meeting at a quiet location. We weren’t to be disturbed, but that day — April 19, 2005 — I received a call, advising that Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was just elected the 265th pope.

I was also advised that I needed to fly to New York immediately to appear on CBS’ “The Early Show” the next morning.

I was selected as someone who might be favorable to Cardinal Ratzinger’s election. They also had on the panel two people who opposed him. When asked for my reaction, I said I was “elated.”

Just a couple months before all of that took place, on Jan. 15, 2005, Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann succeeded Archbishop Keleher as our shepherd here in Kansas City.

A few weeks ago, I received an early-morning email advising that Bishop Shawn McKnight of Jefferson City, Missouri, would be succeeding Archbishop Naumann as our next archbishop. The timing was a little challenging, coming on the heels of the brutal murder of one of our priests and only days before Holy Week.

Still, I was elated. Why? It wasn’t because I was eager for Archbishop Naumann to retire. On the contrary, I can’t imagine ever having a better shepherd.

It also wasn’t because Bishop McKnight had been on my “short list” of “preferred” new archbishops, even though I’m very grateful we got him.

Rather, the reason I am elated by the appointment of Archbishop-designate McKnight — and why I was elated by the election of Cardinal Ratzinger 20 years ago — is that we are able to see “apostolic succession” in action.

God promised through the prophet: “I will give you shepherds” (Jer 3:15). He is true to his promises in every age.

We have been blessed with extraordinarily good shepherds, and now we pray for our next pope and archbishop.

PAGE 8 | THELEAVEN.ORG

CONC

Whether as contenders or kingmakers, these are some

CARDINALS TO WATCH A

By Michael R. Heinlein OSV News

t the conclusion of the official days of mourning following the death of Pope Francis on April 21, 135 cardinal electors are eligible to enter preconclave gatherings.

There were very few gatherings of the College of Cardinals during the pontificate of Pope Francis — which had become increasingly commonplace in the pontificates since the Second Vatican Council — and so, there is a sense the cardinals know each other even less than in recent conclaves.

Over 100 of the members of the college were appointed by the man whose successor they will choose.

Of the 135 cardinals currently eligible to vote, 53 come

from Europe, 16 of them from Italy. Asia accounts for 23 voters, Latin America (including Mexico) 21, Africa 18, North America 16 and Oceania four.

With representation from more than five dozen countries, the College of Cardinals currently has the most global composition than ever before, although nearly 30 of the cardinal-electors alone are serving in the Roman Curia. This is also the first conclave in which all the electors will have been ordained priests after the conclusion of Vatican II. The old saying goes that “he who goes into the conclave as pope leaves as a cardinal.” However, the preconclave gatherings give an opportunity for cardinals to emerge as possible papal candidates as the cardinals discuss the issues facing the church and qualities desired in the next pope. The following figures are potential contenders to become the 267th successor of St. Peter.

Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik

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s the church continues to face the need for further reforms of the priesthood — particularly in the wake of the clergy sexual abuse crisis and as vocations continue to decline — the prelate who has served since 2021 as the prefect of the Dicastery for Clergy could surface as a papal contender.

Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik, 73, archbishop-bishop emeritus of Daejeon and a native of South Korea, converted to Catholicism as a teenager and was baptized at age 16, inspired by the enduring witness of St. Andrew Kim Taegon and companion Korean martyrs. Attuned to the pernicious effects of clericalism, owed to his experience of the church in Korea and his involvement in the ecclesial movement Focolare, Cardinal You Heung-sik has high regard for the role of the laity in ecclesial life.

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa

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talian native and Franciscan Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, 60, was appointed Latin patriarch of Jerusalem in 2020. He has spent a quarter of a century ministering in the Holy Land, including in a mix of academic and pastoral work. As the Israeli-Hamas war unfolded in 2023, then-Archbishop Pizzaballa was named a cardinal, and made news shortly thereafter when he offered himself up to Hamas in exchange for the release of abducted children. His elevation was evidence of great respect in Rome for his diplomatic tact, which could also mean the cardinalelectors might see the “right stuff” in him as divisions in the world and in the church continue to widen. Raised in Castel Liteggio, Northern Italy’s Lombardy, his childhood was marked by a simple country life, as he recalled during his episcopal ordination in 2016. Jerusalem gave him a rousing send-off prior to leaving the city for the conclave, and in a video recorded before heading to Rome, Cardinal Pizzaballa said: “It’s a moment when we need to be united in prayer.”

Cardinal Péter Erdo

C Cardinal Anders Arborelius

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ince his elevation, Swedish Cardinal Anders Arborelius, 75, a Carmelite, has often been lauded for his levelheadedness and is liked by both conservatives and progressives in his country. Back in 2017, Pope Francis made a surprise announcement that he would elevate five bishops to the cardinalate, including the bishop of Stockholm, a first for Sweden and Scandinavia. With Catholics accounting for roughly 1.5% of the Swedish population, the pope made clear his desire to highlight his closeness to the Catholic Church on the periphery. In 1971, Arborelius entered the Order of the Discalced Carmelite Fathers in Norraby, and gave his perpetual vows in Bruges, Belgium, in 1977. He studied philosophy, theology and modern languages in Belgium, Sweden and Rome. From 2005 to 2015, he was president of the Episcopal Conference of Scandinavia. “I was very stupefied, and of course, it’s always a bit annoying when they start” speculating, Cardinal Arborelius told OSV News Sept. 6, 2024, via video call. “Here in Sweden, people always love [saying], ‘Oh, you’re the next pope.’ So it’s a bit annoying but I tried to calm them down in a sense because it’s part of the business that people speculate about that.”

ardinal Peter Erdo, 72, of Hungary appears the most likely papal candidate among those named a cardinal in the pontificate of St. John Paul II. Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest and primate of Hungary since 2003, Cardinal Erdo served as general relator at the twin synods of bishops on the family in 2014 and 2015. With double doctorates in theology and canon law, Cardinal Erdo served as professor and administrator in seminaries for over two decades, until his appointment as bishop in 1999. From 2006 to 2016, Cardinal Erdo served as president of the Council of the Bishops’ Conferences of Europe. He hosted the 2021 International Eucharistic Congress in Budapest.

Cardinal Charles Maung Bo

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rdained to the priesthood of the Salesians of St. John Bosco in 1976, Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, 76, has been archbishop of Yangon, Myanmar, for over two decades. Created a cardinal by Pope Francis in the consistory of February 2015, he has the title of Sant’Ireneo a Centocelle (St. Irenaeus at Centocelle). An outspoken critic of the actions of the military junta and advocate for the persecuted Catholics of Myanmar, he welcomed Pope Francis for a highly reported visit in the country in November 2017. The cardinal, who served as the leader of Asia’s bishops for two terms, in a conversation with Vatican News recalled Pope Francis’ “profound affection” for the people of Asia and his “love for” the suffering people of Myanmar.

MAY 2, 2025 | PAGE 9

CLAVE Cardinal Pietro Parolin

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle

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ardinal Luis Antonio Tagle is a popular speaker, comfortable in several languages, who has traveled extensively and is known for his focus on evangelization and care for the poor and for immigrants. While pundits now downplay the chances that the cardinal from the Philippines will become pope, he still is included in most lists of cardinals who can influence a conclave. Still, soon after Pope Francis died April 21, people in the Philippines began speculating on Cardinal Tagle’s chances and even starting prayer campaigns for his election. At 67, he is considered on the young side to become pope, but it was the upheaval in the general secretariat of Caritas Internationalis in 2022 that led many in the media to start doubting his chances of becoming pope. But when the U.S. bishops held their National Eucharistic Congress in the summer of 2024, Pope Francis chose Cardinal Tagle as his representative to the gathering. At the closing Mass, the cardinal focused on how “a eucharistic people is a missionary and evangelizing people,” grateful for the gift of Jesus in the Eucharist and committed to sharing the Lord with others.

he front-runner among papal candidates currently serving in the Roman Curia would be Italian native Cardinal Pietro Parolin, 70, who has served as the Holy See’s secretary of state since 2013. Since age 31, he has spent his ministry as priest and bishop in the service of the Vatican’s diplomatic corps. His tenure as secretary of state was seen widely as a moderating force during the Francis pontificate. His close ties to some of the more contentious hallmarks of Pope Francis’ pontificate, particularly his role in a London real estate scandal and the Holy See’s agreement with China, seen as a controversial chapter of Pope Francis’ pontificate, could weigh against his potential candidacy.

Cardinal Matteo Zuppi

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resident of the Italian Episcopal Conference since 2022 and archbishop of Bologna since 2015, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, 69, has been regarded as particularly close to Pope Francis. A protege of Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, Cardinal Zuppi has a longtime affiliation with the Community of Sant’Egidio, an ecclesial movement dedicated to promoting peace and ecumenism. Cardinal Zuppi has been known to celebrate the Tridentine Mass and also contributed to working on relations with LGBTQ+ Catholics. Since 2023, Cardinal Zuppi has been Pope Francis’ personal delegate to promote peace amid the Russia-Ukraine war. “It is primarily about looking for the best ways to promote peace, and first of all, it has a humanitarian dimension.

We are particularly mindful of children, especially those uprooted from their family environment,” Cardinal Zuppi told OSV News Feb. 5, 2024.

Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline

Cardinal Marcello Semeraro

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urrently the lone residential cardinal-archbishop in mainland France, Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, 66, was reportedly very close to Pope Francis. While Francis has made it a priority to visit smaller, marginalized European countries during his pontificate, Cardinal Aveline was instrumental in securing a papal trip to his Marseille see city in 2023.

An impressive scholar and academic, Cardinal Aveline has degrees from two of Paris’ most prestigious universities, the historic Sorbonne and the pontifical Institut Catholique de Paris.

Ordained a priest for Marseille in 1984 and named an auxiliary bishop there in 2014, Cardinal Aveline was appointed archbishop of his own diocese in 2019.

While Cardinal Aveline’s priorities match up with many of Pope Francis’ own — especially concerning migration, synodality and decentralization of the church — Cardinal Aveline is regarded as one who puts a major emphasis on building up communion and fostering unity. This can be seen in his work facilitating interreligious dialogue or even sympathetic accompaniment of traditional Latin Mass adherents after the restrictions levied by Pope Francis in 2021.

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ardinal Marcello Semeraro, 77, a one-time professor of ecclesiology, served as a diocesan bishop in Italy until his appointment to the Roman Curia in 2020. Cardinal Semeraro was appointed secretary of the Council of Cardinals in 2020, an advisory body that Pope Francis established very early in his pontificate. Since 2020, Cardinal Semeraro has been prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, taking the place of embattled, and now-convicted, Cardinal Angelo Becciu. A combination of Cardinal Semeraro’s age, his longtime pastoral experience and his inside knowledge of Vatican operations under Pope Francis could make him an appealing candidate as a “transitional” pope.

Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu

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tatistics show that the growth and future of Catholicism resides in Africa. And, if the cardinal-electors are looking for a papal candidate who embodies the gifts of African Catholicism, Capuchin Franciscan Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, 65, is a likely choice. Appointed archbishop of Democratic Republic of Congo’s archdiocese of Kinshasa in 2018, Cardinal Ambongo Besungu has served on the papal advisory Council of Cardinals since 2020. The cardinal also brokered an agreement with the Holy See on behalf of Africa’s bishops, in his capacity as president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar, after the public disagreements following release of the Dicastery for the Doctrine on the Faith’s 2023 decree “Fiducia Supplicans,” (“Supplicating Trust”) regarding blessings for same-sex couples.

Cardinal Willem Eijk

And don’t count out:

medical doctor before entering the seminary, Cardinal Willem Eijk, 71, has been archbishop of Utrecht, Netherlands, since 2007. Cardinal Eijk relied on his medical background as he obtained a doctorate in theology with a focus on medical ethics. And he also has been able to help diagnose what ails Western society amid increasing secularization, especially as seen in his native country. As the church’s institutional footprint continues to shrink in the West, Cardinal Eijk had provided commonsense pastoral solutions. Known for his defense of church teaching on various hot topics, Cardinal Eijk in 2022 requested that Pope Francis write an encyclical on gender theory.

Cardinal Peter Turkson, Ghana, 76 Cardinal Mario Grech, Malta, 68 Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, France, 73, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, U.S., 70 Cardinal Albert Ranjith, 77, Sri Lanka Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, 61, Poland

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PAGE 10 | THELEAVEN.ORG

MAY 2, 2025

CONCLAVE

This conclave is the most geographically diverse in history

By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service

V OSV NEWS PHOTO/REMO CASILLI, REUTERS

Cardinals attend the funeral Mass of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on April 26. The conclave to elect the next pope will begin May 7.

In Rome, the real national sport isn’t soccer. It’s betting on the next pope

By Ines San Martin OSV News

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OME (OSV News) — If you thought Italians were only obsessed with soccer, think again. With the conclave to elect Pope Francis’ successor still days away, a different game has taken over the Eternal City. Welcome to “toto-cardinale” — a spirited, slightly irreverent, and utterly Italian ritual of guessing who will be the next pope, called by the betting market, prohibited in Italy, “toto-papa.”

It’s as if all of Rome, from altar boys to taxi drivers, has suddenly become conclave experts. The Vatican may keep the Sistine Chapel under tight security, but out in the streets, piazzas and even trattorias, the speculation runs wild — and everyone is certain they know who’s in pole position.

Security volunteers as papal pundits Outside the Vatican walls, where journalists from every corner of the globe have flocked — many of whom wouldn’t know the Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle from Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana — another class of expert emerges: the civil protection volunteers from the region of Emilia Romagna, deployed to keep order among the pilgrims. With blue and yellow vests and walkie-talkies, they’re supposed to be pointing mourning pilgrims to St. Peter’s Basilica. Instead, they’re huddling with reporters, trading inside tips on cardinal sightings.

“We’ve been playing ‘toto-cardinale’ all morning,” admits one volunteer, between showing pilgrims the correct entrance for the security check under the Bernini Colonnade. “Jean-Marc Aveline, from Marseille in France,

he’s strong — best of the Europeans. Maybe Anders Arborelius from Stockholm, Sweden, too. But Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Italian Patriarch of Jerusalem? Too ‘papabile.’ Those who go in as pope, come out as cardinals, you know?” the volunteer told OSV News, pointing to another Italian word fancy these days, meaning a cardinal who is a top contender for the papacy.

When pressed for his sources, he leans in, lowers his voice, and flashes a conspiratorial grin: “I went to school with one of the cardinals. We’re lifelong friends, and he had me over for dinner on Monday (the day of Pope Francis’ death, April 21).

“You see, he’s papabile . . . and I value my friendships over making the news. Especially if he does become the successor of Peter!”

The sacred napkin of Hostaria Da Roberto Just around the corner is Hostaria Da Roberto. “Rigatoni alla norcina,” or pasta served with a creamy white sauce featuring sausage, is holy here, and cardinals have been known to tuck in. Now, with the new possible pope being as hot of a topic as pasta taken out of the boiling water, waiters and journalists are locked in a different sort of conclave. One veteran waiter, known to serve up pasta and gossip in equal measure, quizzes the press corps about their favorites, then pulls out his secret weapon: a napkin, creased and folded, each section crammed with four names. He’s got the lists, but he won’t say who gave him the tips.

“Journalists, cardinals — they all think they know. But here’s the rule: You reveal the sin, not the sinner,” he winks, before disappearing to get this under-slept reporter an espresso.

Taxi rides and soccer balls Hail a cab in Rome these days and forget small talk about the weather or the awful state of the streets. Marco, a self-declared Vatican expert behind the wheel of a battered Fiat, is convinced it’s “about time the papacy comes back to Italy” — as if it’s a soccer ball that’s been on loan to Argentina, Germany and Poland for too long.

“Pizzaballa, he’s got the right spirit.

He’s Italian, even if he’s spent most of his priesthood in the Holy Land. Remember how he offered himself in exchange for children held hostage by Hamas in 2023? That’s the kind of courage we need,” Marco proclaims, weaving through Roman traffic as if late for a papal Mass.

The only ones not playing? The cardinals themselves Of course, there’s a certain irony to all this: The cardinals, about to be locked away in prayer and reflection, are the only ones not indulging in the guessing game. “Sottovoce,” or in a lowered voice, they might answer with a “yes, maybe, no” when asked for one cardinal or the other, but most refuse to give names.

“No one walks into a conclave certain of the outcome,” a veteran Vatican observer shrugs. “The only sure thing is that the Holy Spirit still gets a vote.”

But that won’t stop Rome from playing its favorite game until the white smoke rises — and even then, don’t expect everyone to agree on whether their picks were robbed.

Because here, in the days between a papal funeral and a conclave, the real sport isn’t “calcio,” or soccer. It’s the ancient, joyful, utterly Italian art of believing — truly believing — that you, your waiter, or your taxi driver just might know who the next pope will be.

ATICAN CITY (CNS) — The conclave that begins May 7 is expected to be the largest in history, with a wide geographical mix of cardinal-electors.

There are 135 cardinals under the age of 80 and eligible to vote in a papal election. By contrast, 115 cardinals took part in the conclaves in 2005 and 2013.

The cardinals represent 72 different countries if one counts the nations where they are serving and not just where they were born. Take the example of three Italians: Cardinals Pierbattista Pizzaballa is the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem; Giorgio Marengo is the apostolic prefect of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; and Mario Zenari is the apostolic nuncio to Syria.

The cardinals’ average age on April 28 was 70 years and 5 months. That is slightly younger than the average age of electors who participated in the last conclave in 2013, which was 71.8.

According to “Universi Dominici Gregis,” the document giving rules for the election of a new pope, cardinals who celebrate their 80th birthday before the day the Apostolic See becomes vacant — that is, with a papal death or resignation — do not take part in the election.

The oldest among current voters is Cardinal Carlos Osoro Sierra, the retired archbishop of Madrid, who turns 80 May 16.

The youngest member of the conclave is 45-year-old Ukrainian-born Cardinal Mykola Bychok of the Ukrainian Eparchy of Sts. Peter and Paul of Melbourne, Australia. He is one of 17 Gen X cardinals, those born between 1965 and 1980.

Only five of the cardinals eligible to enter the conclave were created cardinals

by St. John Paul II and 22 were created by Pope Benedict XVI. That means 27 of them took part in the conclave that elected Pope Francis, and five of those also participated in the 2005 conclave that elected Pope Benedict.

But that also means voting in a conclave will be a brand new experience for 108 of the electors.

While the geographical breakdown of conclave voters has become more diverse since 1978, Europeans are still the largest block. Fifty-two of the electors, or 37%, come from Europe.

However, Asia is more represented now than ever before with 24 electors or almost 18% of the total. There are 23 cardinalelectors representing Latin America, about 17% of the total, followed by Africa with 18 electors. North America now trails behind Africa and Asia with 14 electors, representing about 10%, and Oceania has four voting-age cardinals, about 2.9% of the total.

In the country-by-country breakdown, Italy has 16 voting-age cardinals, followed by the United States with 10, representing 7% of the voting total.

Brazil has seven voting-age cardinals; Spain and France have five each, and Poland, Portugal, India, Argentina and Canada have four each. England, Germany and the Philippines have three cardinalelectors each. Fifty-nine countries are represented with one or two cardinal-electors.

In terms of influence, the Vatican as an institution will be heavily represented, with 27 members of the Roman Curia voting in the conclave — 19.7% of the total.

Since a two-thirds majority of the cardinalelectors who participate is needed to elect a pope, if all 135 men were to attend, there would need to be at least 90 votes for one candidate to emerge as the winner.

Among the voting-age cardinals, there are 33 members of religious orders, including: five Salesians, four Jesuits, four Franciscans and three Conventual Franciscans.

MAY 2, 2025

BETWEEN THE SHEEP AND SECRECY A new social media generation prepares to elect the pope

By Ines San Martin OSV News

R

OME (OSV News) — The College of Cardinals preparing to elect a new pope includes a visible group of Generation X and millennial electors — leaders shaped not just by the Second Vatican Council but by globalization, digital media and a rapidly changing world.

Several cardinals under the age of 60, including some born in the 1970s and 1980s, are bringing new pastoral and communicative sensibilities to the conclave. Among them are Italian Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, a 50-year-old missionary in Mongolia; Portuguese Cardinal Américo Aguiar, 51, who led World Youth Day Lisbon; and Cardinal Mykola Bychok, 45, a Ukrainian Greek Catholic bishop serving in Australia.

There are at least 15 cardinals who were born after 1965 — the year Vatican II ended — and the beginning of Generation X. “Many cardinals today are not just church leaders or newsmakers — they are also content creators, influencers on social media,” said Gustavo Entrala, the Spanish communications expert who helped launch Pope Benedict XVI’s Twitter account. “Compared to 2013, there has been a major cultural shift: Many figures in the church now share extensively online, making it possible to scrutinize what they have said or written across social platforms.”

But the shift isn’t just generational — it’s technological. Many prelates now share updates directly on social media, often without a communications manager curating the content. Cardinal Aguiar posted a selfie with Cardinals Marengo and Bychok, taken in St. Peter’s Basilica, that briefly “broke” Catholic social media on Pope Francis’ funeral day April 26. Japanese Cardinal

U.S. cardinals who will enter conclave to elect pope VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Here is a list of the U.S. cardinals who are under the age of 80 and eligible to enter the conclave May 7 to elect a new pope: • Cardinal Raymond L. Burke, retired prefect of the Apostolic Signature • Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago • Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, retired archbishop of GalvestonHouston • Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York • Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell, prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life under Pope Francis • Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory, retired archbishop of Washington • Cardinal James M. Harvey, archpriest of Rome’s Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls • Cardinal Robert W. McElroy, archbishop of Washington • Cardinal Robert F. Prevost, prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops under Pope Francis • Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin of Newark, New Jersey

THELEAVEN.ORG | PAGE 11

CONCLAVE

Vatican drivers, staff to swear oath of secrecy

By Junno Arocho Esteves Catholic News Service

V OSV NEWS PHOTO/FACEBOOK OF CARDINAL AMÉRICO AGUIAR

Portuguese Cardinal Américo Aguiar, 51, who led World Youth Day Lisbon (left), Cardinal Mykola Bychok, 45, a Ukrainian Greek Catholic bishop serving in Australia, and Italian Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, a 50-year-old missionary in Mongolia, are pictured in a selfie taken in St. Peter’s Basilica on April 26, the day of Pope Francis’ funeral.

Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi of Tokyo, who heads Caritas Internationalis, posted on Facebook a bus selfie with fellow cardinals en route to pray at St. Mary Major.

These new forms of engagement show a College of Cardinals increasingly fluent in social media — raising new questions about transparency, discretion and the evolving role of cardinals in the digital age.

Singapore’s only red hat, Cardinal William Goh, born in 1957, posted on X the conclave date only minutes after the Vatican spokesperson had confirmed it, noted that the cardinals are meeting daily in general congregations and shared, in very general terms, what is happening.

“Hence, it is urgent and important that you all pray for us so that we can discern what kind of pope the church needs in this present day, because every pope brings with himself his own charisms,” he posted. “Please pray that we will choose the right candidate to be the successor of St. Peter to lead the church in this complex world.”

The same message was also shared on his Telegram channel.

Pope Francis was a strong advocate for clergy to stay close to their flock.

Many prelates have found that social media, “the digital continent,” offers one more way to leave the sacristy and be part of a church that “goes out,” as the late Argentine pontiff liked to say.

While the church’s legal norms demand strict secrecy during the conclave, the broader challenge posed by the digital age is not merely legal but deeply spiritual.

As Giovanni Tridente, journalist and professor at Rome’s Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, observed, communication today touches not only techniques but the heart of pastoral life. For many cardinals, communication is no longer merely an option — it has become a space where proximity to the people of God is expressed.

“It is not simply a matter of technique, but of pastoral style,” Tridente said. Some cardinals maintain a living bond with their communities through small, thoughtful gestures: a carefully chosen word, a measured public

sign, a shared photo. Others, however, prefer complete discretion. “Both paths deserve respect,” he added.

Yet, Tridente noted, the real challenge lies elsewhere: how to safeguard the essential when everything around demands visibility, immediacy and storytelling.

“The conclave has always been a different kind of time,” he said. “It is not about isolating oneself from the world, but about setting it aside for a moment in order to look inward with greater clarity and freedom.” In this sense, he suggests, silence itself can become a profound form of communication.

“There is a real tension between the pastoral closeness many cardinals show online and the radical discretion that a conclave demands,” Entrala said.

“In 2013, American cardinals were holding daily press briefings before the conclave until they were ordered to stop,” he added. “We are seeing a historical echo of that now, as the camerlengo, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, has requested cardinals not to speak publicly. It will be interesting to see how they manage their phones.”

The camerlengo is responsible for verifying the pope’s death, overseeing preparations for the conclave and ensuring the smooth running of the Vatican during the “sede vacante.”

Even a traditionally private event like the conclave is now exposed to a constant flow of images, voices and analyses — the mark of an era shaped by disintermediation, social media and artificial intelligence.

“People are consuming content as never before, and due to Pope Francis, the Vatican is generating even more interest now than in 2013, following the historical resignation of Pope Benedict XVI,” Entrala said.

“And the more we know about the reality that surrounds us,” he said, “the more engaged with it we want to be.”

This reality, Tridente argued, “is one that connects and informs, but that often overwhelms and distracts as well.” In this context, many cardinals, who may know little of each other beforehand, are inevitably influenced by fragmented narratives, preconceived perceptions and external pressures.

ATICAN CITY (CNS) — One by one, placing a right hand on the Book of Gospels, staff driving, cooking, cleaning and caring for the cardinals who will elect a new pope will swear an oath of perpetual secrecy about the election of the 267th successor of St. Peter.

While members of the College of Cardinals famously take an oath, so do Vatican staff members, including the elevator operator, doctors and attendants who will be assisting with the everyday tasks and needs of the cardinals during the conclave which begins May 7.

In an April 29 statement, the Vatican said “the oath of the officials and attendants of the conclave will take place” May 5 in the Pauline Chapel, not far from the Sistine Chapel where the cardinals will vote for the next pope.

The Vatican also announced that the Mass for the Election of the Roman Pontiff will begin at 10 a.m. in St. Peter’s Basilica May 7 and that the cardinals will solemnly process into the Sistine Chapel from the Pauline Chapel at 4:30 p.m. the same day.

Among those directly assisting the College of Cardinals and are required to swear the oath are: Archbishop Ilson Montanari, secretary of the College of Cardinals; Archbishop Diego Ravelli, master of the liturgical ceremonies; and a priest chosen by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who is presiding over the conclave, “to assist him in his office.”

Also taking the oath are sacristans, priests who will be available to hear the cardinals’ confessions, doctors, nurses, elevator operators, technical services staff, the colonel and major of the Pontifical Swiss Guard, as well as the director of security services for Vatican City State and some of his assistants.

The rules regarding the oath were outlined in the apostolic constitution, “Universi Dominici Gregis” (“Shepherd of the Lord’s Whole Flock”), which was issued by St. John Paul II in 1996 and amended by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007 and again in 2013.

According to the apostolic constitution, the cardinal chamberlain, currently Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell, along with three cardinal assistants, will approve the staff members chosen to have contact with the cardinals during the conclave and, therefore, required to take the oath.

At the fifth general congregation meeting April 28, it was announced that Cardinals Luis Antonio Tagle, Dominique Mamberti and Reinhard Marx were chosen to assist Cardinal Farrell in preparing for the conclave.

Once approved, the staff members “who in any way or at any time should come to learn anything from any source, directly or indirectly, regarding the election process, and in particular regarding the voting which took place in the election itself, are obliged to maintain strict secrecy with all persons extraneous to the College of Cardinal electors,” the document states.

Placing their hands on the Gospels, staff members swear to “observe absolute and perpetual secrecy with all who are not part of the College of Cardinal electors concerning all matters directly or indirectly related to the ballots cast and their scrutiny for the election of the Supreme Pontiff.”

Staff will also swear not to use audio or video equipment to record anything taking place during the period of the election or that is related to the process of the election itself.

“I declare that I take this oath fully aware that an infraction thereof will incur the penalty of automatic (‘latae sententiae’) excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See,” the document states.

PAGE 12 | THELEAVEN.ORG

MAY 2, 2025

CONCLAVE

THE MODERN POPES

T

Get to know the 11 popes before Francis

he following is a snapshot of the papacies of the 11 popes that preceded Pope Francis, from Pope Benedict XVI back to Blessed Pope Pius IX.

global influence. A charismatic philosopher, athlete, poet and fierce opponent of communism, the Polishborn Karol Wojtyla brought vigor and vision to a world and church in need of hope. He championed orthodoxy, human dignity and moral truth, famously urging Catholics to “Be not afraid.” His 104 international trips, pivotal role in the fall of Soviet communism, and efforts to strengthen Catholic-Jewish relations marked his historic pontificate. His stances on sexuality, women’s ordination and centralized authority received both celebration and criticism, yet his leadership reshaped the modern church. He authored landmark encyclicals, advanced ecumenical dialogue and oversaw the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. After recovering from being shot in 1981, he resumed his strenuous schedule, but starting in the early 1990s, he suffered visibly from Parkinson’s. He died on April 2, 2005.

Canonized in 2014, he remains a defining figure of the post-Vatican II era.

Pope Benedict XVI: Brilliant humility (2005-2013) Pope Benedict XVI, who died Dec. 31, 2022, at 95, was far more than the pope who resigned, although he was the first to do so in nearly 600 years. A towering figure in the church for over half a century, Joseph Ratzinger shaped Catholic thought as an innovative theologian, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and ultimately as pope. A key architect of the church’s post-Vatican II path, he championed continuity over rupture, resisting secular trends like relativism. Ordained a priest in 1951, he rose to prominence during Vatican II and later helped draft the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Elected pope in 2005, Benedict emphasized the harmony of faith and reason and sought reform rooted in tradition. Though criticized over the church’s handling of clergy abuse scandals, he was among the first Vatican officials to take decisive action. After resigning in 2013, he lived in quiet prayer until his death.

Pope St. John Paul II: Witness to the world (1978-2005) Pope St. John Paul II, who led the church from 1978 to 2005, was a towering figure of faith, intellect and

aide to Pope Pius XII, Pope Paul VI brought deep institutional knowledge and pastoral experience to the role. He guided the Second Vatican Council to its conclusion, championed global outreach through historic papal travels and sought unity with the Orthodox Church. His 1968 encyclical “Humanae Vitae,” reaffirming the church’s stance against artificial birth control, sparked widespread dissent. Despite suffering from comparison with his charismatic predecessor, Pope St. John XXIII, Pope Paul VI remained faithful to his mission, often torn between progressive and conservative impulses. He decried the spiritual confusion of the era, famously warning of the “smoke of Satan” entering the church. Beatified in 2014 and canonized in 2018, his legacy is now viewed as prophetic, pastoral and foundational to the post-conciliar church.

Blessed Pope John Paul I: The September pope (Aug. 26-Sept. 28, 1978) Cardinal Albino Luciani took the name John Paul I to honor his two predecessors. Known for his humility, simplicity and radiant smile, he was seen as a pastoral figure who could lift the church’s spirits after Pope St. Paul VI’s difficult final years.

Born in northern Italy in 1912, Luciani served as bishop of Vittorio Veneto, participated in Vatican II and became patriarch of Venice. A strong advocate for catechesis and social justice, he supported “Humanae Vitae” while emphasizing patience and compassion. Though his papacy lasted only 33 days before his sudden death, he had outlined a six-point vision centered on renewal, unity and peace. His unassuming style and rejection of papal pomp won admiration, though confusion around his death fueled conspiracy theories. Despite his short tenure, Pope John Paul I left a legacy of gentleness and humility.

His cause for sainthood was opened in 1990. He was beatified in 2002.

Pope St. Paul VI: Prophet for the modern world (1963–1978) St. Pope Paul VI, born Giovanni Battista Montini in 1897, was a complex and dutiful leader whose papacy helped shape the modern church amid turbulent times. A former Vatican diplomat and close

Pope St. John XXIII: Joyful prophet of renewal (1958-1963) Pope John XXIII, born Angelo Roncalli in 1881, was elected pope at age 77, widely expected to be a transitional figure. Instead, his humility, warmth and vision reshaped the church through the Second Vatican Council, which he convened in 1962 to engage the modern world with renewed faith and clarity. A peasant’s son and experienced diplomat, Roncalli had served in war zones and helped Jews during World War II. As pope, he broke with formality, welcomed diverse voices, and promoted unity and peace. His landmark encyclicals “Mater et Magistra” and “Pacem in Terris” advanced Catholic social teaching, emphasizing workers’ rights, human dignity and global cooperation. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, he played a quiet but crucial mediating role. He died of cancer in 1963, having set the church on a bold path of “aggiornamento” (“updating”) and “ressourcement” (“return to sources”).

Canonized in 2014, he is remembered as a joyful, pastoral pope with a heart for justice and reform.

MAY 2, 2025

CONCLAVE Pope Pius XI helped resolve the “Roman question” with the Lateran Treaty, making Vatican City a sovereign state. He established the solemnity of Christ the King, emphasizing Christ’s universal kingship, and canonized saints such as St. Thérèse of Lisieux and St. Thomas More. As war loomed, he used diplomacy, moral authority and media to confront evil. He died in 1939 after years of resisting regimes addicted to violence and oppression.

Pope Pius XII: An age in arms (1939-1958) Pope Pius XII, born Eugenio Pacelli in 1876, was elected pope on the eve of World War II. A skilled diplomat with deep experience in Vatican foreign affairs, he had helped shape church policy in response to Nazism and communism. Though maintaining wartime neutrality, Pope Pius XII condemned totalitarian ideologies, aided Jews and refugees, and acted as a diplomatic channel between the Allies and anti-Hitler Germans. After the war, he resisted communist expansion in Eastern Europe and intervened in Italian elections to prevent a communist victory. Doctrinally, he advanced biblical scholarship and liturgical reform, and in 1950, infallibly defined the assumption of Mary. His critics question whether he spoke out forcefully enough against the Holocaust, though many contemporaries — including Jewish leaders — praised his efforts to save lives.

Despite controversy, Pope Pius XII is recognized for his moral leadership during a time of global crisis.

He was declared “venerable” by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009.

Pope Benedict XV: Forgotten pope of peace (1914-1922) Pope Benedict XV, elected as World War I erupted, is often overlooked but was a compassionate and prescient leader during one of history’s darkest chapters. A seasoned diplomat, he remained neutral during the war, calling it a “useless massacre” and urging peace through proposals emphasizing reconciliation over punishment. Though ignored by world powers, his appeals laid moral groundwork for future diplomacy. Pope Benedict’s humanitarian efforts included help for prisoners of war, wounded soldiers and civilians, straining Vatican resources.

He also reformed church law by promulgating the first Code of Canon Law and issued the encyclical “Maximum Illud,” calling for indigenous clergy in missionary work. His 1919 meeting with U.S. President Woodrow Wilson highlighted his commitment to peace, even as Versailles’ punitive treaty ignored his warnings. Pope Benedict died in 1922, largely forgotten until Pope Benedict XVI hailed him as a “courageous and authentic prophet of peace.” His legacy endures as a voice of compassion amid global conflict.

Pope St. Pius X: Fighting a changing culture (1903-1914) Pope Pius XI: Stalwart witness to true order (1922-1939) Pope Pius XI led the church through turbulent years marked by global depression, rising totalitarian regimes and fierce anti-Catholic persecution.

Born Ambrogio Ratti in 1857 near Milan, he was a scholar and Vatican diplomat before becoming pope.

A strong, no-nonsense leader, he promoted Catholic Action, defended marriage and education, and issued key encyclicals: “Casti Connubii” on family life, “Quadragesimo Anno” on social justice, and “Mit Brennender Sorge” condemning Nazi doctrines and Catholic persecution. He also protested fascist repression in Italy and communism’s dehumanizing effects.

Pope St. Pius X is best remembered for his pastoral heart and resolute defense of the church against rising secularism and modernist theology. His motto, “Instaurare omnia in Christo” (“To restore all things in Christ”), guided a pontificate marked by courage and reform. He battled France’s aggressive secularism, resisting laws that stripped the church of property and influence, while also taking a firm stand against modernism, which he condemned in the encyclical “Pascendi Dominici Gregis” and the decree “Lamentabili Sane Exitu.” Though criticized for his harshness, his efforts were aimed at preserving orthodoxy in a rapidly changing world. Beyond controversy, Pope Pius X promoted catechesis, restored sacred music and encouraged frequent Communion, lowering the age for first Communion to the age of reason. He died shortly after World War I began and was canonized in 1954. His legacy is one of spiritual renewal and steadfast fidelity.

THELEAVEN.ORG | PAGE 13

Pope Leo XIII: Father of social doctrine (1878-1903) Pope Leo XIII laid the foundation for modern Catholic social teaching with his landmark 1891 encyclical “Rerum Novarum,” addressing the rights and dignity of workers in the face of industrialization. Defending private property while affirming workers’ rights to fair wages, unions and humane conditions, Pope Leo positioned the church as a moral voice in economic matters. Born Gioacchino Pecci in 1810, Pope Leo had a long ecclesiastical career before becoming pope. Though elected as a transitional pope due to his age and health, he served for 25 years, the third-longest papacy in history. He encouraged a revival of Thomistic philosophy and warned against excessive nationalism and secularism, especially in his letter “Testem Benevolentiae,” which addressed concerns about “Americanism.” While conservative in piety, Pope Leo’s leadership marked a shift toward engaging modern society with reasoned faith. His teaching legacy, especially “Rerum Novarum,” continues to shape Catholic social thought today.

Blessed Pope Pius IX: Transforming the papacy (1846-1878) Blessed Pope Pius IX was a transformative yet controversial figure who shaped the modern papacy.

Initially a liberal reformer, he became a staunch defender of tradition as Italy’s nationalist movements stripped the papacy of its temporal power. Despite political losses, Pope Pius IX expanded the pope’s spiritual and moral authority, defining the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in 1854 and overseeing the First Vatican Council (1869–1870), which proclaimed papal infallibility and primacy. His 1864 Syllabus of Errors condemned modern ideologies like rationalism, naturalism and socialism, drawing fierce criticism from the secular world. During his leadership, however, the papacy would come to draw deep loyalty from Catholics. Known as the “Prisoner of the Vatican” after losing Rome to Italian troops, Pope Pius IX nevertheless became a global Catholic symbol. His personal warmth and wit endeared him to many, contributing to his beatification by Pope St. John Paul II in 2000. His 31-year reign remains the longest in papal history.

PAGE 14 | THELEAVEN.ORG

CONCLAVE

MAY 2, 2025

MAY 2, 2025

THELEAVEN.ORG | PAGE 15

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PAGE 16 | THELEAVEN.ORG

MAY 2, 2025

‘GRAZIE, FRANCESCO’

An estimated 200,000 people gather in St. Peter’s Square and the neighboring streets to attend the funeral Mass for Pope Francis at the Vatican on April 26.

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

V

ATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis was “a pope among the people, with an open heart toward everyone,” said Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, as he presided over the funeral of the pope, who died April 21 at the age of 88.

And the people — an estimated 200,000 of them — were present as 14 pallbearers carried Pope Francis’ casket into St. Peter’s Square and set it on a carpet in front of the altar for the funeral Mass April 26.

His burial was scheduled for later the same day in Rome’s Basilica of St. Mary Major after being driven in a motorcade through the center of the city where he served as bishop from the day of his election to the papacy on March 13, 2013.

Security around the Vatican was tight, not only because of the number of mourners expected but especially because of the presence of kings, queens, presidents — including U.S. President Donald J. Trump — and prime ministers from more than 80 countries and official representatives from scores of other nations.

Also present were the residents of a Vatican palace Pope Francis had turned into a shelter for the homeless and the 12 Syrian refugees he brought to Rome with him from a refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos in 2016.

The Gospel reading at the funeral was Jn 21:15-19 where the risen Jesus asks Peter, “Do you love me?” And when Peter says yes, Jesus tells him, “Feed my sheep.”

Poor and powerful pray for eternal repose of a pope ‘with an open heart’ “Despite his frailty and suffering toward the end, Pope Francis chose to follow this path of self-giving until the last day of his earthly life,” Cardinal Re said in his homily. “He followed in the footsteps of his Lord, the good shepherd who loved his sheep to the point of giving his life for them.”

The 91-year-old cardinal told the crowd that the image of Pope Francis that “will remain etched in our memory” was his appearance on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica the day before he died to give his Easter blessing “urbi et orbi” (“to the city and the world”) and then to ride in the popemobile among the people who had come to celebrate Christ’s victory over death.

“The outpouring of affection that we have witnessed in recent days following his passing from this earth into eternity tells us how much the profound pontificate of Pope Francis touched minds and hearts,” Cardinal Re said.

The Vatican estimated that 250,000 people — many of whom waited in line for three or four hours — filed past the late pope’s body in St. Peter’s Basilica

April 23-25.

Within the church, the cardinal said, “the guiding thread” of Pope Francis’ ministry was his “conviction that the church is a home for all, a home with its doors always open.”

For Pope Francis, he said, the church was a “field hospital,” one “capable of bending down to every person, regardless of their beliefs or condition, and healing their wounds.”

With President Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Olga Lyubimova, Russian minister of culture, seated near the altar, Cardinal Re said that “faced with the raging wars of recent years, with their inhuman horrors and countless deaths and destruction, Pope Francis incessantly raised his voice imploring peace and calling for reason and honest negotiation to find possible solutions.” “‘Build bridges, not walls’ was an exhortation he repeated many times, and his service of faith as successor of the Apostle Peter always was linked to the service of humanity in all its dimensions,” the cardinal said.

Cardinal Re also recalled Pope

CNS PHOTO/STEFANO SPAZIANI, POOL

Francis’ constant concern for migrants and refugees from his first papal trip outside of Rome to pray for migrants who drowned in the Mediterranean Sea, his visit to Lesbos and his celebration of Mass in 2016 on the U.S.-Mexican border.

At the end of the Mass, Cardinal Baldassare Reina, papal vicar of Rome, offered special prayers for the city’s deceased bishop, Pope Francis. Then Eastern Catholic patriarchs and major archbishops gathered around the casket and led funeral prayers from the Byzantine tradition in honor of the pastor of the universal Catholic Church.

Sister Norma Pimentel, a Missionary of Jesus and director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, had knelt in prayer before the body of Pope Francis April 25 and was present for the funeral.

“The funeral of Pope Francis is a very important part of who we are as people of faith,” she told Catholic News Service. “We walk together, we cry together, we work together . . . doing what we believe is important in our lives as people of faith, and we say farewell together at the end.”

The funeral, she said, is a time “to join him in this last farewell and say thank you: Thank you for being you, for being there with us, and we’ll see you.”

Sister Norma is known especially for her work with migrants and refugees, a ministry close to the heart of Pope Francis.

“He was all about making sure that we understood the importance” of welcoming newcomers, she said.

His message was: “Please open your hearts. Please care for them. That’s all they’re asking.”