The Church has now begun the novendiales, the nine days of official liturgical mourning for Pope Francis, beginning with yesterday’s Funeral Liturgy, followed by Francis’ interment at the papal basilica of Saint Mary Major. Meanwhile, having committed Pope Francis to the mercy of God, we inevitably turn our attention to the selection of his successor, and what we, both the Church and the world, will want and hope for from the next Pope.
In 1782, after the Austrian Emperor Joseph II had suppressed over 500 monasteries during what seemed like the zenith of Josephism (the Hapsburg version of Gallicanism), Pope Pius VI traveled personally to Vienna to try to negotiate with Joseph, the first papal trip outside Italy in over two centuries. The kaiser conceded nothing, but the papal visit occasioned an enthusiastic reception by cheering crowds, demonstrating an unexpected depth of popular feeling for the Pope. An analogous occasion of imperial chagrin occurred in 1804, when comparably enthusiastic crowds turned out to greet Pope Pius VII as he made his way to Paris for Napoleon’s coronation. Despite despotic political policies that attempted to diminish the power of the Catholic Church, a vibrant grass-roots Catholicism demonstrated its popular strength and the people’s respect and reverence for the office and person of the Pope. If anything, the Pope’s position at the heart of Catholic life may be even more central today.
So, whoever appears on the loggia of Saint Peter’s as our next Pope, he will stand on a stage of uniquely universal prominence, from which he will be expected to advance the mission of the Church in a contentious and cacophonous world, which is so often at odds with that mission.
Pope Francis endeared himself to the both Church and world when he first greeted both with the simple words, buona sera. Pope Saint John Paul II had done something similar, 35 years earlier, when he invented the tradition of the new Pope’s balcony remarks, referring to nostra lingua italiana. The seemingly simple humanity projected especially by those two popes set a new tone for papal appearances and, to some extent, a new tone for the Church’s life and mission, a new tone which will increasingly be a prerequisite for effective leadership.
The death of the Pope leaves a very obvious void on the world stage, visibly highlighted by the presence of so many world leaders at Francis’ funeral, many of whose social, economic, and political priorities conflict dramatically with those of Pope Francis. Even at his funeral, the Pope’s position as potential mediator of conflicts was on display. Who could fail to marvel at the otherwise seemingly improbable spectacle of the 15-minute impromptu meeting of U.S. President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky in St. Peter’s Basilica? (The White House described the meeting as « very productive, » and President Zelensky later called it « very symbolic » with the « potential to become historic. »)
So, what’s next?
The most decisive event in contemporary Catholic experience has been the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). Although the Council itself may seem as ancient as Nicea (325) to the majority of Catholics alive today, it remains undoubtedly the most significant event in recent Church history. Notably, the Council addressed some of the persistently neuralgic issues that had challenged the Church’s life and mission since the late 18th century (i.e., since the Enlightenment and the French Revolution). The Second Vatican Council negotiated a new relationship between the Church and the modern world, making peace (or at least a truce) with certain modern sensibilities, including democracy and religious liberty, as well as addressing important pressing issues like the Church’s relationships with other Christians, with the Jews, and with other religions and those of no religion. In the process, the post-conciliar recognition of history and change also inadvertently opened the Church to the new corrosive forces of modernity, which unexpectedly arose in the post-conciliar period – primarily (although not exclusively) issues related to sex and gender, issues increasingly fought over socially and politically.
While maintaining the integrity of established Church doctrine, the Second Vatican Council challenged the Church to do so with a new and more engaging tone. Pope Francis reopened the debate about the Council’s legacy, simultaneously reaffirming disputed doctrines while accompanying the world in a new tone – in the process bringing back to center stage post-conciliar conflicts which had appeared somewhat settled.
So the Church today remains divided over issues that arose after the Council and which the Council could not have directly addressed. Not everyone prioritizes those conflicts over the greater value of Church unity, but those conflicts continue to erode the Church’s unity regardless of how directly or indirectly they are addressed. They are, however, also largely conflicts characteristic of the « older » Church in Europe and North America. While the Francis papacy may have unintentionally reignited the intensity of those European and North American « culture war » conflicts, the pontificate of the first pope from the Global South has highlighted also both the parts of the world where the Church is really growing and the very different kinds of concerns that characterize that growing Church in the Global South. Some of those concerns inevitably affect the European and North American Church as well – most obviously migration and the social, economic, and political conflicts migration has highlighted. In an increasingly disordered world, many look to the Church – and the Church looks to the Pope – for a unique kind of leadership in responding to these crises.
The mere fact that the last pope was from the Global South hardly guarantees that the next pope will also be from Latin America, Africa, or Asia, although the probability of an African or Asian pope is, I suspect, real. On the other hand, it is just as possible that we may go back to electing an Italian pope one more time! More important than where he is from, however, the geopolitical and ecclesial concerns associated with the Global South will likely play a prominent role in the next Pope’s pontificate, regardless of the new Pope’s home. In any case, the world’s increasing disorder is a global phenomenon, which increasingly impacts everyone everywhere.
Every pope must perforce perform many roles – pastor and teacher being the ones most obviously highlighted by recent popes. Pope Francis seemed to stress the pastoral aspect of the papacy. He was primarily a pastor. The next pope will certainly also need to be a pastor, but he will more specifically need to be a healer, a uniter – healing as best he can the conflicts and divisions within the Church and uniting the Church’s multitude of factions in the profession of our common faith, which it is the pope’s mission to proclaim to the world. That mission of proclamation must also be among the new pope’s priorities, as an increasingly disordered world looks to him to articulate the good news of eternal truth, so easily missing in our overdose of information.
Looking ahead to the conclave, it is impossible to predict an outcome – except that it will not be like the movie! The two charismatic papacies of the post-conciliar period emerged from conclaves that met under extremely unusual circumstances. The second 1978 conclave met in the wake of Pope John Paul I’s sudden and unexpected death, a traumatic experience which may have unsettled and opened the conclave to the daring choice of a non-Italian. The 2013 conclave met in the aftermath of Benedict XVI’s even more unexpected abdication, a traumatic experience which may have unsettled and opened the conclave to the daring choice of a Pope from the Global South. More like the 2005 conclave, meeting at a time when the Church’s challenges seem to be rapidly accumulating, this one may perhaps be looking for less charisma and more stability. Or maybe not! Recent conclaves have been relatively short by historical standards. since this conclave will have so many more participants and since so many of them do not really know each other, maybe this will be a longer conclave. Or maybe not!
The papal office is central to the divinely established constitution of the Church. But whom to elect as pope is a very human affair, as the Cardinals (representing the whole Church) are challenged to discern the signs of the times and provide the Church with the Shepherd it needs here and now. And so we implore the guidance of the Holy Spirit and pray as the Church prescribes:
O God, eternal shepherd, who govern your flock with unfailing care, grant in your boundless fatherly love a pastor for your Church who will please you by his holiness and to us show watchful care. [Roman Missal]
