A RORATE Guide to the Cardinals and the Conclave
[Read our previous piece on the Conclave here.]
The spectre of the coming conclave hangs ever over the heads of more than 130 cardinal electors and 1.2 billion Catholics. Speculation is rife. Will the next Pope be like Pope Francis or more ‘conservative’, like Pope Benedict?
This question is crucial. The Vatican is dealing with grave financial problems. Pope Francis has not been able (or willing) to solve this problem, in spite of the fact that it was part of the reform mandate he received in 2013. The Vatican has also become rather discredited on the foreign policy level. Even worse is the risk of schism resulting from the radical German bishops and their allies in Belgium and Switzerland The Anglican church was torn apart by disagreements over homosexuality. Only an orthodox Pope can ensure this doesn’t happen to the Church of Christ.
The stakes are even higher due to the extension of the Synod on Synodality. The ‘ecclesial assembly’ in Rome in 2028 risks (further) disempowering the bishops of the Catholic Church and creating a new governance structure, where the Pope and (handpicked) laymen and laywomen (and activists) call the shots. Early in Francis’ pontificate progressives, and even some moderates, were hoping for greater collegiality between Rome and local bishops’. Instead, the opposite happened. Francis’ divisive policies and unfinished curial reforms have destabilized the Curia itself and raise the possibility of laywomen serving as prefects and providing dictates to the bishops of the world.
The next Pope will need knowledge of canon law, theology and the inner workings of the Curia. Who is up to the task? What heretics or corrupt figures might be put forward? Rorate Caeli has previously warned of a repeat of the 2013 conclave, where false candidacies and rumours were used to distract from the real progressive candidate, Jorge Bergoglio. Who could the real candidates be and who are the false leads?
Unlikely progressives
3 comments:
What to say? Do our part and pray that the cardinal electors are receptive to the Holy Spirit and the needs of the Church, not personal ambition, ideology, destructive reform etc. A knowledgeable, holy shepherd is needed. The Lord always provides; will the cardinal electors actually listen?
In my own humble opinion, this is the last chance for the Church to not go totally off the rails relative to my understanding if what it should champion and how.
Should the cardinal electors choose liberalism, which to me is mostly self-serving (e.g. it's what "I/we" want, not what Christ desires and we'll just explain it away), the Orthodox Churches could well end up being the only true bastions of tradition as established by Christ that remain.
Uncertain times. Orthodox substance must prevail over style, ideology and current whim. Lord help us!
I pray the Conclave will elect a pontiff dedicated to changing course and restore traditional Catholicism. Liberalism has not worked. Number one: revoke Traditiones Custodes. Even my liberal/moderate Catholic friends think it is an abomination and hypocrisy on steroids.
My money is on Erdo.
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