UNITED STATES
Catholic Culture
By Dr. Jeff Mirus | March 05, 2013
During the period leading up to Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation, I would describe my mood as sadness buoyed by a certain excitement and even optimism. I watched the news closely just to chronicle the Pope’s final days in office. But now that Benedict has stepped down, and we are awaiting the election of his successor, my natural excitement is increasingly on hold. I’m relaxing a bit, and I am watching the news primarily for enjoyment.
Granted, there are certain facts that we do want to know, such as when the conclave will actually begin. But as the journalists and the cardinals get together in Rome before the conclave starts, we are bombarded with procedural trivia, bizarre attempts to get in on the ecclesiastical action, and what we might call electoral gamesmanship on the part of the cardinals. The larger truth is that we will not know anything significant until the white smoke rises upon the election of the next pope. Apart from reminding us of our duty to pray, I think Our Lord really does want us to enjoy it all.
Certainly the more bizarre stories are entertaining, such as the poster campaign in favor of the election of Cardinal Turkson (the Ghanaian head of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace) and also the effort of a fraudulent bishop to get into the preliminary meetings among the cardinals. Based on these two stories we know exactly two things: Imposters are unlikely to infiltrate the process; and Cardinal Turkson, whatever his merits, will never be elected pope.
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