The Cardinal’s Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica
Just a few minutes ago, the Mass Pro Eligendo Romano Pontifice concluded at St. Peter’s Basilica, celebrated by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals. This was the last public act for the cardinals before entering the Sistine Chapel for the Conclave that will elect the 267th Pontiff of the Catholic Church, the successor of Peter.
Cardinal Re’s Invocation
Cardinal Re, invoking the Blessed Virgin Mary, asked for her maternal intercession, “so that the Holy Spirit may enlighten the minds of the electing cardinals and make them unanimous in the election of the pope that our time needs.” This statement concluded the cardinal’s homily at St. Peter’s Basilica. There were 220 cardinals from around the world present, including those who will not participate in the voting inside the Sistine Chapel.
Cardinal Re: “May the Pope Elected Be What the Church and Humanity Need”
In his homily, Re called upon the Holy Spirit “so that the pope needed by the Church and humanity in this challenging and complex turning point in history may be elected.” The dean emphasized the great responsibility of the cardinals entering the Sistine Chapel: “Praying, invoking the Holy Spirit, is the only right and dutiful attitude as the electing cardinals prepare for an act of utmost human and ecclesial responsibility and a choice of exceptional importance; a human act for which all personal considerations must be set aside, and only the God of Jesus Christ and the good of the Church and humanity must be in mind and heart.”
A Pope to “Awaken the Consciences of All”
An important passage in Cardinal Dean’s speech was about the expectations he had for the next pope, a figure who “better knows how to awaken the consciences of all and the moral and spiritual energies in today’s society, characterized by great technological progress, but tends to forget God.” “Among the tasks of every successor of Peter is to grow communion – he said -: communion of all Christians with Christ; communion of the Bishops with the Pope; communion of the Bishops among themselves. Not a self-referential communion, but one that is entirely focused on communion among people, peoples, and cultures, with the Church always being a ‘home and school of communion’.”
The cardinal also emphasized the importance of maintaining the Church’s unity in the path laid out by Christ to the Apostles. The unity of the Church is desired by Christ; a unity that does not mean uniformity but a firm and deep communion in diversity, as long as one always remains fully faithful to the Gospel.
