Attention is now clearly on the College of
Cardinals and who they will elect to be the 266th successor of St
Peter. The media is in an absolute
frenzy as they speculate about who the successor of St Peter will be.
Catholics, who happily put forward their
speculation of who will be elected as the next Pope, help to feed this media
frenzy. Their speculation is based on
all kinds of reasoning, which ranges from the number of languages a cardinal
speaks, his administrative ability, age, understanding of the politics in Rome,
popularity and goodness knows what else.
I find it strange that Catholics would
participate in all this speculation. In
my opinion this reduces the election of the successor of St Peter to a purely
secular level, with little, if any, consideration of the fact that the Church
is not an organisation like other secular organisations.
It is little wonder that the world does not
‘get it’. The behaviour of a great
number of Catholics, especially those who are all too eager to appear on
television or the radio and express their ‘expert’ opinion, provide little
sense of the supernatural element of our Church. Sadly, it is often priests who lead this
speculative circus, setting an absolutely shocking example for the lay
faithful. The election of the Pope is
discussed in purely secular terms, just as the potential leader of a government
would be discussed.
Anyway, I have digressed from the purpose of
this post. The purpose of this post is
to emphasise a reality that few of the ‘experts’ on radio and television have
spoken of. They have listed numerous
qualities that the new pope should possess to be the best candidate, yet few
have stated the quality that I believe is most important.
St Peter and the other Apostles were taught
directly by our Lord Jesus. It was to
them that our Lord revealed the truths of our Faith. They received the deposit of Faith directly
from Jesus.
St Peter and the Apostles were in turn required
by Jesus to pass on this teaching, completely unchanged, exactly as they
received it from our Lord, to the rest of the world. They had no authority to alter anything that
they received from Jesus. Their
successors, the bishops, do not have that authority either.
Our Lord was quite specific in making St
Peter the foundation of the Church. “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this
rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against
it.”[1] Hence the statement: “Ubi Petrus, ibi ecclesia” - Where Peter is, there is the Church.
Our Lord also told St Peter on Holy Thursday
night: “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan
demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for
you that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your
brethren.”[2]
St Peter’s main role, which passes to each
of his successors, is to nurture and protect the Church. It is his role to keep the Church together
and help them remain faithful to all that our Lord Jesus taught his Apostles. This is the quality that the Pope must
have. The courage and wisdom to defend
the deposit of Faith that our Lord Jesus gave to His Church and ensure it
continues to be passed on unchanged from generation to generation.
Administrative skills and all the other
skills that people claim the next Pope needs to have is not important. They are merely advantages. A Pope can appoint people around him to make
up for any of the skills that he may lack.
What is crucial is that we have a Pope who will defend, at all costs,
the exact Faith that our Lord Jesus personally gave to the Apostles!
Well said Mark
ReplyDeleteAmen
ReplyDeleteFully agree. Though this role is becoming increasingly difficult in an increasingly secular world that wants to subject even God to secular ways of doing things. The world wants the church to update itself, but they just don't "get it".
ReplyDeleteImagine, after 266 Popes and 2000 years of Tradition, along with Jesus' teachings, there is not much room for the Pope to change much. He needs to defend it though.