By Julie A. Ferraro | FāVS News Columnist
This Easter Season has been one of change in the Catholic Church. Only hours after Pope Francis delivered his “Omni et Urbi” blessing from St. Peter’s Basilica on Easter Sunday, he passed into eternal life, after weeks of suffering.
As always when a pope dies, the activities of the Church grind to a virtual halt, anticipating what is to come next. That “next” includes the pope being laid in state, allowing the public to pay their respects. Then, a funeral attended by thousands, including many leaders from countries around the globe, Catholic and non-Catholic.
Nine days of Eucharistic celebrations to mourn the late pope precedes the Conclave to elect the new Pope.
All of this well-covered by the news media.
Stability and the New Pope
There is an element of Benedictine stability in this transition, customs that have been followed for centuries. As Pope Leo XIV stated in the homily he delivered in his Mass of Inauguration on May 18, there is no need for anyone to think God has abandoned his people during these times when the seat of Peter is empty. The Holy Spirit will always provide the guidance so that a successor will be selected.
This echoes the occasion of the first Pentecost, when the Apostles and the Blessed Virgin Mary were together, once again mourning in a way after the risen Christ Jesus had been taken up to heaven before their eyes ten days early — celebrated as the Ascension.
Jesus promised, nonetheless, always to be with his followers, sending the Holy Spirit — seen as tongues of flame — on Pentecost.
The Holy Spirit has been manifest in the Church ever since, including in this most recent Conclave. It could be ventured, if anyone was taking wagers on the outcome of that gathering behind locked doors in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel – and there were, according to some news outlets – they would not have predicted the selection of Robert Francis Prevost, born and raised in Chicago, on the third ballot.
Yet, in the days following his election, Pope Leo XIV – along with other cardinals who participated in the Conclave – has pointed out how the Holy Spirit guided them in the task at hand.
Just as the Holy Spirit guided the apostles after Pentecost, permitting them to speak in various languages so the people of all nationalities would understand the Good News they proclaimed.
Pope Leo, during his Inauguration Mass homily, called upon the peoples of the world to continue allowing the Holy Spirit to work, to end wars, oppression and other conflicts, to bring peace to all.
The pope emphasized how all people are loved by God, regardless of their status in society, or other factors that have — especially recently — caused division. Wearing the white cassock of his office, he did not hesitate to stress that the plight of immigrants should be dealt with compassionately, and those on the margins should be made welcome.
A very Benedictine sentiment.
Yet, as those who are members of the Center for Benedictine Life at the Monastery of St. Gertrude in Cottonwood, Idaho, have known for decades — and have shared with all those who cross their threshold – the Rule of St. Benedict directs that every person be welcomed as Christ.
On this Pentecost, as the coming of the Holy Spirit is recalled around the world, the reminder that this was not just a “one-off” in the history of humanity, but is a constant blessing to those, like Pope Leo XIV, who are open to the possibilities of bringing God’s love and peace into the lives of those we meet on a daily basis, makes it possible to move forward in unity, as the Pope urged from the Chair of St. Peter in Rome just a few weeks ago.
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