Cardinal Re: United in prayer, we ask the Holy Spirit for guidance

Image: Vatican Media

Source: Vatican Media

This morning, Wednesday 7 May, the Cardinals and more than 5,000 faithful gathered in St Peter's Basilica for the Mass for the Election of the Pope.

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, presided over the celebration, saying that in a special way "we feel united with the entire People of God in their sense of faith, love for the Pope and confident expectation."

Recalling the reading in the Acts of the Apostles how after Christ's ascension into heaven all were united and persevering in prayer together with Mary, the Mother of Jesus, the Cardinal said in his homily that all gathered here are praying together as well just a few hours before the start of the Conclave, "under the gaze of Our Lady beside the altar, in this Basilica which rises above the tomb of the Apostle Peter.

Cardinal Re explained that at this celebration we invoke the help of the Holy Spirit, asking for "his light and strength so that the Pope elected may be he whom the Church and humanity need at this difficult, complex, and troubled turning point in history."

"To pray, by invoking the Holy Spirit, is the only right and proper attitude to take as the Cardinal electors prepare to undertake an act of the highest human and ecclesial responsibility and to make a choice of exceptional importance. This is a human act for which every personal consideration must be set aside, keeping in mind and heart only the God of Jesus Christ and the good of the Church and of humanity."

As proclaimed in the day's Gospel reading, Cardinal Re recalled how Jesus calls on everyone to love one another as He has loved them, even to the point of laying down one's life, a message of boundless love that the Lord calls a "new" commandment.

"The love that Jesus reveals knows no limits and must characterise the thoughts and actions of all his disciples, who must always show authentic love in their behaviour and commit themselves to building a new civilisation, what Paul VI called the "civilisation of love." Love is the only force capable of changing the world."

Cardinal Re said the readings call us to fraternal love, mutual help, ecclesial communion, and universal human fraternity. He said a clear task of every successor of St Peter is fostering communion in all forms: communion of all Christians with Christ; communion of the Bishops with the Pope; among themselves, directed towards communion among persons, peoples and cultures.

The readings also remind us about the duty "to maintain the unity of the Church on the path traced out by Christ to the Apostles." This unity of the Church "is willed by Christ," he explained, a unity that is strong and marked by "profound communion in diversity, provided that full fidelity to the Gospel is maintained."

"Each Pope continues to embody Peter and his mission and thus represents Christ on earth; he is the rock on which the Church is built (cf. Mt 16:18). The election of a new Pope is not a simple succession of persons. The election of a new Pope is always the Apostle Peter who returns."

Cardinal Re urged everyone to pray that the Holy Spirit, "who in the last hundred years has given us a series of truly holy and great Pontiffs, will give us a new Pope according to God's heart for the good of the Church and of humanity."

"May we pray for a Pope who knows how best to awaken the consciences of all and awaken the moral and spiritual energies in today's society that tends to forget God."

The Cardinal remarked how the world expects much from the Church in safeguarding the "fundamental human and spiritual values" that human coexistence and future generations depend upon.

"May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, intercede with her maternal intercession, so that the Holy Spirit will enlighten the minds of the Cardinal electors and help them agree on the Pope that our time needs."

Yesterday, the twelfth and final General Congregation of Cardinals focused on various qualities important for a future Pope, including being a shepherd, bridgebuilder, and promoter of reform.

During a briefing with journalists afterwards, Matteo Bruni, Director of the Holy See Press Office, noted that there had been were 26 interventions, addressing a wide range of topics.

Discussion focused on the reforms of Pope Francis that need to be carried forward: legislation on abuse, economic issues, the Roman Curia, synodality, work for peace, and care for creation.

The theme of communion was emphasized as a calling for the new Pope to be a Pontifex, a builder of bridges, a shepherd, a master of humanity, and the face of a Samaritan Church.

In times of war, violence, and deep polarization, it was said, there is a need for a Pope of mercy, synodality, and hope.

There was discussion of Canon Law and the power of the Pope, of divisions and the role of cardinals in the Church, of the proximity of the Solemnity of Christ the King and the World Day of the Poor - which should be considered together - and of the need for meetings of the College of Cardinals during Consistories.

Other topics included Christian initiation and formation as missionary acts, the memory of the witness of martyrs of the faith in areas of conflict and where religious freedom is limited, and the urgent issue of climate change.

The topic of the date of Easter, the Council of Nicaea, and ecumenical dialogue was also mentioned.

This afternoon, at 3.45pm, the Cardinals will be taken from Casa Santa Marta to the Apostolic Palace for the entrance into the Conclave and voting begins in the evening.

LINK

Cardinal Re's homily: www.vatican.va/content/vatican/en/special/sede-vacante/sede-vacante-2025/20250507-omelia-proeligendo-pontifice.html