The next Pope: A script with an unexpected twist, by Victor Oladokun
I grew up #Catholic and attended a Jesuit Catholic High school. As such, I tend to keep an eye on goings on in the Church and the #Vatican.
Following the death of #Pope Francis, 134 cardinals, under the age of 80, from around the world, will be sequestered in #Conclave on May 7th. There they will remain, shut off from the world with no gadgets and no mobile phones, until the 267th pope is elected.
When that happens, white smoke billowing from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney will signal that a new leader of the world’s
1.4 billion Catholics has been chosen.
The media is already agog with predictions, projections and ‘prophesies’ about who the next Pope potentially could be.
My advice? Take it with a pinch of salt!
Why? There is an age-old Vatican adage, that says, “Chi entra in conclave papabile, ne esce cardinale” – meaning, “He who enters the conclave as papabile (pope material … or a most likely candidate to become Pope) always comes out a cardinal.”
The adage carries with it a spiritual sting. It is a reminder that human ambition, even those cloaked in red robes, bows to the Holy Spirit’s unpredictable will.
All through history, #Cardinals tagged as “pope material” have been known to strut into the Sistine Chapel, with the buzz of certainty hanging over them like incense. However, as has often been the case, their meticulously laid plans are humbled beneath Michelangelo’s paintings.
The Holy Spirit, it seems, delights in flipping the script—choosing a dark horse, while the frontrunners clutch their rosaries in vain.
The lesson? In the conclave, as in faith, papabile who believe their own press or the pundits, are often schooled in humility, as they exit once again as mere cardinals … their egos checked by a Higher vote.
After all, the conclave is not supposed to be a political race but a sacred surrender, where pride takes a back seat, and where God’s script always has an unexpected twist.
To the next Pope, Ad multos annos!
