The Next Vicar of Christ

It is the world’s oldest spectacle. On Tuesday, March 12, the College of Cardinals begins their conclave to elect the new pope. The process has essentially remained unchanged through centuries of coups, uprisings, revolutions, and constitutional changes on every continent. The Shoes of the Fisherman will be filled through an elaborate and secretive ritual that confounds a 21st century media accustomed to instant and transparent dissemination of the news.

I admit to being amused by how the media doesn’t get it. Notice how quickly they posted lists of papabile “candidates” after Pope Benedict announced his resignation, as if the cardinals were going into a smoke-filled caucus room, brokering deals on platform positions like an American political party convention. Fiery candidate speeches? There are none. Ear-catching campaign promises? Nada. Duke ‘em out debates? Sorry, wrong country. And wrong process.

The Successor to Saint Peter will be chosen not by a hard-fought campaign but by the Holy Spirit. Wolf Blitzer or Brian Williams would be hard pressed to try and explain that on television. Heck, even I am having a hard time explaining it to my non-Catholic friends.

The American presidential election is a drawn out and long-winded process that involves millions of campaign dollars, months of slogan-driven rhetoric, and 24/7 media saturation. Candidates pick sound-bite issues that fire up the electorate, whether those issues are truly important or not. Victory is assured when a candidate wins over the majority, however slim, by dragging his opponent in the mud.

In contrast, the College of Cardinals sequester themselves from the world and rely on the Holy Spirit to inspire their choice for the next Vicar of Christ — without a formal nominating process. The pope is the spiritual voice of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics. He can address the leaders of nations on equal diplomatic footing and challenge them as a moral voice for peace and justice. In light of this powerful influence, is it not haphazard and even reckless to rely on such a seemingly random election process?

To those who don’t understand faith, yes. But to those who believe, no. The X-factor is the Holy Spirit, who has guided the Catholic Church through the centuries, despite the sinfulness of its very human leadership and membership. In Matthew 16:18, Christ said to Peter:

"I declare to you, you are Rock, and on this rock I will build my church, and the jaws of death shall not prevail against it."

It does indeed take a lot of faith to believe in the Rock of Peter, especially in these uncertain times. The Holy Spirit, as always, will send to us just the right person to steady the boat through the rough waters ahead. The jaws of death will not prevail.

Veni, Creator Spiritus!

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In this scene from the 1968 movie, The Shoes of the Fisherman, the cardinals are taking a break at the Vatican after their seventh conclave session failed again to elect a pope. During coffee, Cardinal Kiril Lakota (Antony Quinn) reluctantly takes the spotlight as he explains a moral dilemma he faced while imprisoned in a Siberian labor camp for 20 years. His candor impressed his fellow cardinals. In the scene that follows, Cardinal Kiril was elected by acclamation as the next Vicar of Christ.