Faithful encouraged to pray for cardinal electors, next pope
As the papal conclave convened in Vatican City on May 7, faithful in the Archdiocese of St. Louis gathered for a special Mass for the Election of a Pope at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis.
Main celebrant Bishop Mark S. Rivituso began his homily by quoting St. Paul’s Letter to the Hebrews: “Every high priest is taken from among men and made their representative before God….No one takes this honor upon himself but only when called by God” (Hebrews 5:1-4).
We can confidently believe God has chosen our next pope in love and will equip him for the task, Bishop Rivituso said.
“As we come together and pray for our Holy Father that will be elected, we are assured of God’s faithfulness and love for him, that God will make known that he who is chosen will be lifted up and given all he needs to continue to live out that servant leadership,” Bishop Rivituso said. We pray “that the Lord will bless him to lead by humble example and to be a model of service to others, the servant for all, and to be one who directs our Church to truly be faithful to what the Lord asks of us.”
Though the Church is in a time of transition, we should remember that the evangelizing mission Jesus gave us never changes, he said. All of us, as the Church, share in this mission with the Holy Father.
“We have been chosen to be one with (the next pope), to assure him of our prayers and love, our support and help, that he is not doing this alone, of truly going forth and bearing the fruit of Jesus Christ,” Bishop Rivituso said. “…We bear the fruit of Christ’s compassion and care for the poor, the suffering, the forgotten, the marginalized, all on the peripheries of life. We need to remember to model for the world that we must be there for those who are vulnerable, for they indeed are our brothers and sisters.”
Catholics throughout the world can participate in the conclave — without actually voting, of course — through their prayers, said Father Jason Schumer, vice rector of Cardinal Glennon College at Kenrick Glennon Seminary.
Father Schumer, recently featured in a video interview with the St. Louis Review explaining the process of electing a new pope, said that “the Holy Spirit guides the process, but not directly — it’s through the College of Cardinals — and so it’s a prayer for them to be docile, to be listening, to be discerning the Holy Spirit as the process unfolds.”
The election of a pope is a significant undertaking for the cardinals, who represent 1.4 billion Catholics — and are being asked to come to a consensus about a vision for the future of the Church, Father Schumer said.
“It’s a vision that is both in continuity with the pope we’ve had in the past, but also always looking ahead to where we need to grow — to places where the Church needs more healing or needs to address” any issues, he said.
Father Schumer also encouraged Catholics to pray for the new pope even before he is elected. “Pray for the new pope, even though we don’t know his name, because God knows his name, God knows who that is,” he said. “Pray that the Holy Spirit’s with him, and no doubt God, in His providence, is preparing him for that, even right now.”
