I decided I would accept which ever Cardinal I was asigned. I got Péter Erdő. I learned about him yesterday ( before being asigned to him) from Taylor Marshall's video below... I think I may have been randomly asigned our next Pope. https://www.youtube.com/live/_DpAf5d9T0s?feature=shared
I got Cardinal Reina, we share the same birthday. I wonder if there is a way someone could set up a web page for a world wide rosary during the conclave? Considering a rosary takes 15/20 minutes, one could divide up the day into 20 minute slots and people from around the world could commit to saying the rosary in that time slot. It would work a bit like when you sign up for Eucharistic adoration in order to have someone always present, we could implore heaven continuasly. It was an idea that popped in my head thinking of Pope Pius V.
There are several rosary campaigns going on. On a quick Google I found this one, in a blog from the diocese of Middlesborough, UK. Rosario, the global Rosary prayer app, has launched an international prayer initiative as the College of Cardinals prepares for the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis. At this pivotal moment for the Catholic Church, Rosario says cardinals need our prayers now more than ever and the Church needs to unite in invoking the Holy Spirit. Starting now and continuing daily until the conclave ends, Catholics around the globe are joining small groups on the app to pray the Rosary together for the cardinals and the election of our next pope. Rosario says this worldwide Rosary chain for the conclave is a striking example of faith and technology coming together, a spiritual communion of believers across continents, offering their prayers in unity and hope. Here’s how to take part: Download the free Rosario app Join a “Living Rosary” group with the code: CONCLAVE2025 Each person commits to praying just one decade of the Rosary each day for the cardinals Together, they form complete Rosaries offered for the conclave.
I love this reflection from a great priest..., it is spot on. God is in charge. Very awesome reflection from Fr. Steve! What’s Happening in the Church? By Fr. Steve Ryan, SDB After Pope Francis’ death and with the election of a new pope coming soon, lots of people might be asking: “What direction is the Church going to go in now?” The correct answer has to be – the direction that the Holy Spirit leads. Right now it can be truly said that the Holy Spirit is working in the hearts of God’s people. Faith and trust in Jesus Christ as the Way, the Truth and the Life is on the rise! There is a renewal of faith and moral living and a desire to let Jesus into our lives. There are, in fact, many people in the world who are consciously saying: “I want Jesus and I am going to really try to take on his mind, heart and attitude in all that I do.” And you know what?... The renewal of the Church is happening at the grassroots level, not necessarily from the top down. I say this because there are obvious signs that have taken place during these twelve years of Francis’ papacy that evidently testify – God’s Holy Spirit leads the Church no matter who is the pope. God can use who He wants. We love and respect the visible head of the Church in Rome, the Holy Father, but the renewal of the Church springs up in many ways throughout the entire Body of Christ. Much of our present renewal is coming from lay people, ecclesiastical movements, zealous ordinary priests and from the young. From the Catechism of the Catholic Churchparagraph 901 we read: “The laity, dedicated as they are to Christ and anointed by the Holy Spirit, are marvelously called and prepared so that even richer fruits of the Spirit may be produced in them. For all their works, prayers, and apostolic undertakings, family and married life, daily work, relaxation of mind and body, if they are accomplished in the Spirit – indeed even the hardships of life if patiently born – all these become spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” I’m not begrudging the leadership of Pope Francis – may he rest in peace. As a Salesian I pledge loyalty to the pope. I am grateful for all Francis did to help Christians become better missionary disciples. The challenge he gave to the clergy to be real pastors was, in my opinion, at the top of the list of his accomplishments. His inclusivity made us all reflect on Jesus, who came, not for the righteous, but for sinners. His call to go out to the peripheries and seek the marginalized first – is Gospel truth. But what I am saying is that a transformation, a springtime for faith and evangelization is going on right now – and it really wasn’t led by Francis’ leadership. Francis’ papacy, which pushed for ecological awareness and concern, with his synods on synodality, with his warnings to priests about clericalism, with his expanded understanding of ecumenical inclusion, with his media moments of candid reflection on airplanes and even his two Encyclicals and multiple Apostolic Exhortations (5, I think) – are not really what’s responsible for a deeper renewal that has been quietly taking place in the Church. It’s God’s doing. The Holy Spirit has been touching hearts all over the world. The Church might very well be on the verge of a springtime of renewed faith. This is remarkable (but not really if you think about it) and is happening as the cardinals are about to elect yet another pope. It is clearly a God thing! During the middle of Francis’ pontificate, when the media was reporting that the percentage of Americans identifying as Catholic and Christian was declining significantly, and there were predictions that the Church was merely one step away from irrelevance and even eradication – things changed. Something changed. Something interesting and beautiful started happening in recent years. It’s unseen by the powerful. Unnoticed by the apathetic. And ignored by the media. It’s this: the Church was changing, not so much at the Vatican level or at the bishops’ meetings, but out in the world and in the pews. People were responding to the reverent celebration of the Eucharist. Groups gathered regularly in their parishes and oratories for Eucharistic Adoration. Young adults started getting formed in discipleship on college campuses. Men’s and women’s conferences and retreats took off. The Hallow app became the world’s most popular prayer companion app (it beat out Netflix, Instagram and TikTok). The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) twice hit #1 on Apple Podcasts. Some famous celebrities turned to Catholicism in a public way. The reception of the sacraments by new catechumens went up significantly throughout the western world (adult baptisms are rising in the U.S. and Europe). Among churchgoers in England aged 18 to 34, Catholics now comprise 41% of that number, up from 22% a few years ago. I’d like to give Francis some of the credit, but in truth it will be a long time (maybe a century) before his pontificate can be assessed accurately. My credit at this time goes to… the Holy Spirit. Why has this been happening? Maybe we got tired of being told that the Church isn’t very different from the world, which left some wondering why it’s worth it to be Catholic. Or maybe the evil one had been winning for so long that he got cocky. He took off the mask – the world got crazier, or at least made its insanity increasingly apparent. We saw drag shows in kindergartens. We saw the previous president ignore Easter and re-christen it trans visibility day. The government closed down churches for months but Walmart and liquor stores remained open. Something wasn’t right. Our politicians could no longer define what a human being in the womb was. The scientific establishment couldn’t quite define what a woman was. People started looking for solid ground. Many Catholics found it in the Eucharist and in Scripture. They were always there – but finally people began to dig their heels into them. The Holy Spirit began to pour grace into hearts and He is still doing it. While everything whirled around, people noticed that the Church remained the same. While the world’s secularists marched us toward moral anarchy, people noticed that the Church remained the Church despite any foibles of its hierarchy. A shift – something special – has begun. The Holy Spirit is working. He is returning us to an intentional Church, one that is not afraid to counter the culture, one that stands apart and against the concepts of materialism, minimalism, hedonism and individualism. We have many things to pray for – we pray for the repose of Pope Francis’ soul and thank God for his leadership over these past twelve years. We pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance over the conclave, the gathering of the college of cardinals who will be locked up in the Sistine Chapel next week – but remember… God is doing something extraordinary even while the Vatican resets itself. The Holy Spirit is renewing the Church in the hearts of individual members of the Body of Christ in beautiful ways. So don’t get too worried about who the next pope will be. God’s got the Church. Open your heart to the Holy Spirit.
Thanks for posting this. Because the AI thread prompted the question for me of "where do we go from here?". This eloquently answered it. I have been listening to an audio book on the life of an Orthodox saint, Iakovos of Evia. What is incredible is how the Holy Spirit worked in him from the time he was born. I can't help but think a lot of kids today have likely had sanctifying grace operating in them in spite of all sorts of horrors they endured over the last couple of decades.
If they want to repeat the "transitional pope" experiment—truly transitional—like in 2005, he would be the ideal choice, as he is 79 years old and the oldest voting member of the College of Cardinals.
If Prevost was previously the Superior General of the Augustinians, can he appoint cardinals who are Superiors General of other orders in the Church, such as the Spanish priest Miguel Márquez Calle, Superior General of the Carmelites?
Apparently yes, but it is rare. Pope Francis made Fernández a cardinal in 2023 and allowed him to continue as rector until 16 August 2024. He was the first cleric made a cardinal while heading a religious order https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ángel_Fernández_Artime
I've just read this article from today's 'The Catholic Thing', a highly respected website, and considered temperate rather than on the radical side. But it seems to me one of the truest and most frank and relevant essays about the present state of The Church that I've ever read. I've stored it for future re-reads. This man really 'hits it out of the the park', 'hits it for six', 'scores a five-minute hat-trick': https://www.thecatholicthing.org/2025/05/26/where-is-pope-francis/
Great article..I agree completely and I was thinking of dear St Philomena when I was reading that. And he mentioned her and her case.
What is the name of the article? When I click on this link, it takes me to an article about confession.
Something odd about it. The Catholic Thing usually features one article per day, but today there are two. The one I linked is "Where is Pope Francis" by Sebastian Morello. The second article is "How do people even do it" by Randall Smith. When I click on the link I posted, I still get to the Morello article. I'm very untech-savvy, but I'll try the link again. Edit: Eureka, I think I've fixed it.
Interesting—I was reading his biography, and his name, Mykola, is the Ukrainian translation of Nicholas, which means "victory of the people." This reminds me of a title given to St. Michael in the Book of the Prophet Daniel, which reinforces the combative and protective role of the Glorious Archangel for the Church. He could hypothetically be the successor to Pope Leo XIV, since Prevost will likely have a long reign, and this bishop is the youngest member of the College of Cardinals—only 45 years old. He could be a literal fulfillment of the figure of the Slavic pope described in the writings of Malachi Martin. His episcopal motto is "Most Holy Theotokos, Save Us," a short invocation that fittingly illustrates the future Marian dogma of Mediatrix of All Graces, which he himself could proclaim, possibly through a theological and liturgical bridge with the Orthodox Church. DANIEL 12 12 “At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered. 2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 Those who are wise[a] will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. 4 But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.” 5 Then I, Daniel, looked, and there before me stood two others, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank. 6 One of them said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?” 7 The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, “It will be for a time, times and half a time.[b] When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed.” 8 I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, “My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?” 9 He replied, “Go your way, Daniel, because the words are rolled up and sealed until the time of the end. 10 Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand. 11 “From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12 Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days. 13 “As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance.”
MOST HOLY THEOTOKOS, SAVE US! Orthodox Christians begin and end the liturgical year with celebrations dedicated to the Virgin Mary, whom we venerate as the Theotokos or “bearer of God.” On September 8, the end of the first week of the new year, we commemorate her Nativity or birth; on August 15, we close the year with the feast of her Dormition, her “falling asleep” and translation to heaven. As the hymns of these and other Marian feasts make clear, our veneration of Mary, the Mother of God, is basically a confession of our faith in the Person of her Son. All Marian piety, in other words, is an expression of christological dogma. It points beyond the Virgin herself and focuses on the significance—for her as for us—of the One whom she bore, our Lord Jesus Christ. In the troparion or festal hymn of her Nativity, we affirm the truth that “the Sun of Righteousness, Christ our God, has shown forth” from her. By virtue of the fact that she gave birth to this One who is both Messiah (Christ) and Lord (God), the “curse” of our sin and resultant condemnation has been annulled. These words are reminiscent of the apostle Paul’s declaration to the Colossians: Christ has canceled the legal bond (judgment) that stood against us; He has set it aside, “nailing it to the cross” (2:14). The troparion concludes with the Paschal assurance that this Son of Mary has bestowed upon us the blessing of eternal life by destroying the power of death. As the Author of Life, He has descended into the realm of death; and by His resurrection, He has opened the way for each of us to rise up with Him and to share in His eternal glory. The troparion of Mary’s Dormition continues this theme by referring to her as the prototype of all of those who will be “translated” from death to life at the General Resurrection. The hymn begins by affirming a twofold miracle: although she gave birth in the flesh to the eternal Son of God, she did not lose her virginal quality. Virginity in this sense is a sign of purity and holiness, of self-sacrificing love. These virtues Mary preserved fully, even though she experienced pregnancy and the “opening of her womb.” This wonder is coupled with a second: the fact that her death in no wise separated her from “the world,” from the human objects of God’s boundless love. Accordingly, she is able to intercede for us before her Son and our God, and thereby to “deliver our souls from death.” Mary in no way replaces her Son in the work of salvation, nor does she serve in the technical sense as “mediatrix” or mediator between God and us. Although the liturgy at times attributes to her the title Mediatrix, the expression can be understood only in the light of her Son’s saving activity. She “mediates” for us only insofar as she prays and intercedes on our behalf. This is the calling—and the blessed possibility—offered to all of us, insofar as we, like the Mother of God, willingly offer ourselves, together with the world around us, to the mercy and grace of our Lord. There is only “one Mediator between God and men,” the apostle declares, “the man Jesus Christ, who gave Himself as a ransom for all…” (1 Tim 2:5f). Orthodox Christians know this intuitively. Yet they also know that Jesus’ mother never ceases to intercede for us and, indeed, to “mediate” our prayer before God. For this reason, we conclude most of our liturgical services with a word of supplication that to many people, including many other Christians, sounds scandalous or blasphemous: “Most holy Theotokos, save us!” “How can you people pray that?” a Baptist friend asked me one day. If Jesus is truly the eternal Son of God, the God-man who “became flesh” in the womb of Mary; if in and through her person He, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, actually assumed our human nature, to transfigure that nature and restore it to its “original” intended purity and holiness; if His saving, redeeming work was realized because of Mary’s “fiat,” her willing acceptance of virginal birth-giving through the power of the Holy Spirit—if all of this is true, then we can do nothing other than acknowledge her role in God’s economy of salvation, and celebrate that role, with joy and conviction, in the services of the Church. If Jesus is truly who we believe and confess Him to be, then we can do nothing other, and nothing less, than exalt His humble mother as truly Theotokos: a human person like ourselves, but whose womb “became more spacious than the heavens” by bearing the incarnate Son of God. And if, from her Nativity through her Dormition and beyond, she is truly who we believe and confess her to be—the Mother of God—then we can do nothing other, and nothing less, than ask her to intercede ceaselessly for us, for the sake of our salvation. https://www.oca.org/reflections/fr.-john-breck/most-holy-theotokos-save-us
