Lombardi Editorial: Conclave

The Cardinals, by an overwhelming majority, have fixed the date for the Conclave for this coming Tuesday. They feel that they are ready to take the decisive step towards the election of the new Pope. The common reflections in the Congregations, the information exchanged between themselves, the dialogue in order to form a responsible, and personal, judgment on those who would be most suited to this great task, have finally reached an initial stage of maturation. As of Tuesday that discernment will become even more challenging, because the “scrutinies” will address, in a certain sense, the "measure" of consensus that can be reached about definite individuals. And this will continue until a choice is made.

It is striking, when one considers the almost superhuman responsibility that will be laid upon the shoulders of a human being! It is a responsibility that does not consist simply in governing a complex institution, but, much more, it involves guiding the religious, spiritual, and moral journey of an immense community of believers spread across different continents; a community that is watched carefully – often with positive expectations, but sometimes also with a negative attitude – by many of our contemporaries who are seeking to discover the meaning of their existence. The Gospel must be preached throughout the ages, for the salvation of all, to the ends of the earth!

The Conclave, then, is an event that can be really understood, and lived serenely and peacefully, only from the perspective of faith. The two leading figures of the previous conclaves have given us an intense and unforgettable witness. Pope John Paul II contemplated Michelangelo’s “Last Judgment” in his poem “Roman Triptych”: “All things are naked and open before the eyes of God, . . . the clarity of events, the clarity of consciences." "You who see all things – point him out!" "He will point him out." And the future Pope Ratzinger commented: "the patrimony of the keys handed to Peter . . . To place these keys in the right hands: this is the immense responsibility of those days."

By his extraordinary renunciation, Pope Benedict has led the Cardinals to cross once more the threshold of the Sistine Chapel, to discern the one who will be entrusted with the keys. Now, silently, but with profound understanding, he is with all of us in prayer: “Spirit of God, who sees all things – point him out."