#conclave2013

It’s a Great Time to Be Catholic!

So, I’m thinking now’s a good time to be getting all Catholic on the blog because HABEMUS PAPAM, y’all!  This doesn’t happen every day–I mean, this is only the fourth time it’s happened in my whole life (which is edging ever closer toward the–gasp–half-century mark).

Pope Paul VI was just a picture on the school wall to me, less important by far than Father Henkel, whose picture was up there too.…

Conclave is a meeting of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a new Bishop of Rome, also known as the Pope.

-Wikipedia

That's what CONCLAVE means. It's a holy process, cardinals who are part of the electors do sets of prayers prior to their voting. They keep on praying that the holy spirit may guide them in choosing the new Pope, a new leader for the Catholic Church. For the past few days, this meting of the College of Cardinals made a buzz, due to the resignation of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. Since the former pope resigned, someone should be elected as the new Pope. With this buzz are also the news for the so called "contenders" for the said position. Few names came up, including our very own Cardinal Tagle. As a Filipino, it makes us proud, even I was proud, that somehow his name was mentioned as "papabile" (cardinal/s who are considered as Pope). But I also do have this certain kind of feeling that this Conclave is beginning to feel like a pageant for the cardinals. 

Pageant in a sense that, people are hoping too much (?) that someone is going to be a Pope. To a point that, people are campaigning for their preferred papabile. Feels like we're betting who's going to be the new pope. As far as I can remember, the Conclave that happened eight years ago  after Pope John Paul II died and the same Conclave that elected Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI did not create this much of a buzz. Watching news about the Conclave, the people cheering for the cardinal they like, gives me this feeling, the same feeling while watching Ms. Universe or any pageant. Wherein, people are supporting their candidates on winning a certain title.

The holiness of the process is there, the process still complies with the tradition. The excitement for the news of having a new pope is there. Every Catholic is excited to know who's going to be the new Pope. But, the buzz about this is a bit too much, the "pageant" feeling is there. I find it annoying that this is like a pageant and not a Conclave. For me, whoever be chosen as a pope is the one who deserves it. The one that the college of cardinals believe will bind the Catholics around the world.