A New Pope? Focus on Holiness, Not Headlines
Ahead of the conclave, names are being floated as favorites and likely pontifical superstars. Here's why all the speculation—and even the outcome—shouldn't mean a thing to you.
There’s a lot of buzz in the Church these days. The buzz of cardinals whispering, the click of keyboards speculating, the flutter of faithful Catholics wondering: “Who will the next pope be?”
Top contenders are already making headlines—Cardinals like Matteo Zuppi, Víctor Manuel Fernández, Robert Sarah, Peter Erdö, and Luis Antonio Tagle. I really find it comical that most of the folks reporting on these figures (and others) are really confident about their analysis. Someone needs to tell them Who’s in charge.
Some of the names of contenders excite people. Other names terrify them. Some people even threaten to pack up and leave the Church depending on how the conclave goes.
But let me say this plainly: It doesn’t matter who the next pope is. Let me explain why.
The Holy Spirit Didn’t Retire
The Catholic Church isn’t a human organization that lives or dies by the cleverness of its CEO. It’s the mystical Body of Christ–a human institution but a divine organism. And the Holy Spirit doesn’t need our political analyses, our 𝕏 posts, or our anxious wringing of hands to figure out what He’s doing.
Of course, every pope brings his own strengths and shortcomings to the papacy. We’ve seen that across the centuries. Some popes have been towering saints. Others in our history were, well...less than that. And yet the Church still stands. Why? Because Jesus Christ Himself promised it:
"You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
(Matthew 16:18)
That promise didn’t come with an asterisk. It didn’t say *“...unless there’s a bad pope.” or “...unless the Church is unpopular.” or “…unless things get too difficult
Christ built it. The Holy Spirit sustains it. That’s the whole story. You can even stop reading now. Or you can continue
Top Contenders (Without the Horse Race)
Yes, there are frontrunners for the papacy. We all saw that coming, the day after the Holy Father Francis’ death. Here are a few names that have been floating around in the news and blogosphere:
Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the Archbishop of Bologna, known for his work on peace and dialogue and his craft at diplomacy.
Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernandez – a close collaborator of Pope Francis and new head of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Cardinal Robert Sarah – a favorite among many traditional Catholics for his profound writings on silence, prayer, and liturgy.
Cardinal Péter Erdö – a steady and respected figure from Hungary.
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle – a globally beloved cardinal with a missionary spirit.
Each of these men brings different gifts. Some will bring stability. Some will bring reform. Some might surprise us. Some might frustrate us.
But remember: the pope is not the Messiah or the King of the Catholic Church. We already have One. The pope is the visible head of the Church on earth, but he is still a servant of the Gospel, a “servant of the servants of God.”
We’re not called to put our faith in a particular cardinal. We’re called to put our faith in Jesus Christ.
Fear is Not a Fruit of the Holy Spirit
There’s a temptation, especially now, to panic. To speculate ourselves into despair (Again, we were seeing that the day of Pope Francis’ death) and to imagine that the Church could be irreparably broken if “the wrong man” is elected.
That’s not just bad theology, it’s bad spiritual hygiene—it’s bad faith. I’ve been saying for years that this is not a political party or a social club. It’s something much higher than that. And so man is incapable of sustaining it by his own intelligence, and also lacks the power to destroy it by his own stupidity. Two…thousand…years, folks! We’ve been here for 2,000 years, and none of you reading this can lay claim as an aide to that achievement. The Church was here before us, the Church survived dark times without us, and the Church will continue despite us. Period!
The Church has survived barbarian invasions, corrupt Renaissance courts, the Protestant Reformation, hostile empires, and the 20th century’s blood-soaked totalitarian regimes. She has weathered storms that would make Twitter arguments look like a drizzle. Dark times? Been there, done that! The Holy Spirit has it under control.
I know that you love the Church. But none of us loves Her more than Jesus Christ (or the Holy Virgin Mary). So trust Christ’s promises. Fear, suspicion, and despair are not fruits of the Holy Spirit. They are the fruits of another spirit entirely, one that likes to make Catholics bitter, divided, and paralyzed by fear.
We are not a Church of fear. We are a Church of hope.
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