On Saturday, 26 April 2025, the Catholic world paused to focus on Rome for the requiem Mass and burial of Pope Francis. Francis led the Catholic Church for the last 12 years. His papacy attracted non-Catholics, and many were inspired by his imitation of Jesus in the
manner in which he led the Church. So, it is no surprise that many were moved by the death of Pope Francis and attended his funeral in person and virtually.
When the news of the passing of Pope Francis was announced to the world, there was a fast forward in people’s minds and hearts as to who the next Pope would be. Who will continue the legacy
of Francis? Will the next Pope be as open as Francis was? Will the Church Cardinals elect a more conservative and traditional leader? What happens to the legacy of Francis? How long will the Catholic Church stand leaderless? These are some of the questions that I have, and I believe many other people have asked. At the moment, there is no answer for these and the many questions we might be asking ourselves about the future of our Church.
Pope Francis encouraged my participation in the church as a lay person. He emphasised the important role of lay people in the life of the church. He encouraged us to take up our Baptismal promises seriously. These are fresh in my mind because we renewed them at the Easter Vigil a week ago. Our baptism missions us into the world to share the good news of the resurrection and actively participate in
our parishes. This is the message of the Synod on Synodality, which Pope Francis initiated.
The Cardinals are bishops who hold the highest rank in the Church. They will meet on 7 May 2025 in the afternoon to begin the process of electing the next Pope; this is called the Conclave. This is an exciting and anxious period of waiting for the white
smoke to emerge from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel (where the election takes place), informing the world that the Church has a leader. This will be my third time witnessing the conclave, though it is different this time. I am older and understand myself, and my role is in the Church.
It sometimes feels like the Vatican City and my local
context are worlds apart. I struggle to see the link and whether what happens there impacts me and my local parish community or diocese.
When the Conclave begins, the Cardinals will isolate themselves from the world. Where does that leave me and perhaps many other billions of people around the world? How do we participate in this process? Can we
participate?
I believe we can and we should. We should pray! Not in a cliché manner, but in a real manner. We are to ask the Holy Spirit to descend on the Sistine Chapel and the Cardinals so that they may listen to the Holy Spirit's leading in electing the new Pope. Pope Francis often asked for prayers; I imagine he’s asking for prayers from us
at this time for the Conclave.
