Less than three weeks ago, the rich pontificate of that humble “servant of the servants of God,” John Paul II, came to a close. With the election of Benedict XVI, we already find ourselves at the cusp of a new chapter in the Church's life.
Millions the world over trained their eyes to catch the color of the smoke as it emerged late Tuesday morning from that smokestack atop the Sistine Chapel. Truly, an extraordinary moment in the life of the Catholic Church is unfolding before our very eyes " a moment in which the eyes of the world are also on our Church.
If only everyone who now understands what black versus white smoke means also knew what the mission of the papacy is all about. Many are asking " if not explicitly " what is so unique, so captivating about this 2,000-year-old office. Indeed, we as Catholics have a unique moment of witness, an opportunity to share with non-Catholic friends and colleagues some of what makes our faith so rich.
Our new pope, Benedict XVI, is the successor to St. Peter, chosen to lead the Church of Rome “which presides in charity” (Catechism, No. 834). His office has at its heart the unity in matters of faith and morals. As we read in “Lumen Gentium,” the pope “is the perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity both of the bishops and of the whole company of the faithful.” In the office of the Bishop of Rome, we have, in other words, a vibrant and visible “center” who unifies the Church universal.
Our new pope will receive divine assistance as he takes the teachings of Christ and interprets and explains them for us in ways inspired by the Holy Spirit. His teaching office will preserve the “purity of the faith handed on by the apostles” (Catechism, No. 889).
Finally, he will lead us closer to Christ by “speaking the truth in love” (Eph 4:15). His sayings " like those of Jesus " will sometimes be hard for us to hear. At other times, his words will comfort, instruct, exhort, console and inspire.
Let us pray for our new pope in words from our Sacramentary: “Lord, source of eternal life and truth, give to your shepherd Benedict XVI a spirit of courage and right judgment, a spirit of knowledge and love. By governing with fidelity those entrusted to his care may he, as successor to the apostle Peter and vicar of Christ, build your Church into a sacrament of unity, love and peace for all the world.”
