Some sensible criteria for choosing the Pope.

Obvious but not taken for granted…a Wise Choice.

From a Cardinal and posted by Marco Tosatti on his site

Marco Tosatti

Dear StilumCuriali, a Cardinal friend of our site sent us this document, which we bring to your attention, and which – we pray – may be read and taken into account when the Conclave begins next Wednesday. Happy reading and spreading the word.

A wise choice

Some sensible criteria for choosing the Pope

In recent days, names of all kinds have been circulating in the corridors of the Vatican and in newspaper editorial offices for the possible new pope. The atmosphere at times resembles that of the general assembly of a football team, where the members want to elect the new president as quickly as possible. It is not clear whether most people are aware that the future of the largest religious community or, better, of the entire world, could depend on the election of the pope. The retention of power by those currently in office under the pretext of continuity, the selfish ambitions of colorful personalities sold as charisma, and the fear of upsetting the liberal world order are certainly not reasonable criteria for electing the Bishop of Rome, who leads the universal Church.

It is therefore appropriate to recall some obvious criteria for a wise choice:

1. Good reputation

Today, as soon as their reputation is damaged, priests are immediately put into temporary retirement by most dioceses. People have had enough of all the scandals. If this applies to ordinary priests, how much more should this caution apply to the future Pope! Be it sexual rumors, financial irregularities, connections with controversial secret societies, or political blackmail: the most basic caution dictates that such people should not even be considered for the Chair of Peter until the rumors and accusations have been fully clarified. Today, nothing remains hidden; but if a cardinal has been repeatedly cited in the press for sexual, financial or political ambiguities, or even has an ambiguous reputation, as pope he will have to deal even more with his past. The Church today can no longer tolerate a Pope with a past! The Pope's reputation must be as white as his robe!

2. Freedom from "movements"

It is obvious to everyone that a pope must be present for everyone, without preferences or dependencies. There are many spiritual families and groups among the clergy and laity in the Church, and all contribute in their own way to the vitality of the Church. The Pope is the father of all: he must therefore stand above the groups and movements. He must not proclaim and live a particular spirituality, much less a particular ideology, but rather the breadth and grandeur of the Church. For reasons of prudence, a candidate who is too involved in a movement of the clergy or the laity and who has therefore lost much of his independence should not be elected. The Bishop of Rome must be open to all communities. In the past and present, the popes’ belonging to religious orders has not always fostered unity. The powerful “pressure groups” of lay movements limit the freedom of the pope if he commits himself to them. The pope needs freedom for all!

3. Simple faith

The faith of many Catholics in secularized society has weakened. Theological subtleties, so-called paradigm shifts and the constant adaptations of the faith to the tastes of the moment lead to confusion and disinterest among many. The pope must therefore be a man who lives the Catholic faith with the same clarity with which he proclaims it. The promotion of worship through liturgy and catechesis, the rekindling of the faith of young people, popular piety, the regular reception of the sacraments, etc., that is, the essential elements of the life of the Church that give her strength and make her open to grace, must be at the center of his work. Of course, the Church cannot and must not fulfill the mission of Christ without theological study, without political commitment, without cultural relevance, without concern for the poor and marginalized, without the richness of different spiritualities, but all these expressions of her rich life depend on the content of faith and the life of faith revealed by Christ to the apostles and their successors. This faith must be accessible to all. The Pope has the task of protecting the faith of the simple, which is the faith of all of us, from the arrogance of an artificial intellectualism and from the watering down of the spirit of the times. The way of the Pope is the way of Christ, not the way of "synodality"!

4. Paternal charisma

The Church does not live for the show. The future pope will be the center of attention, as all his predecessors have been. His charisma should therefore be that of a father to all, not that of a vain actor, a snobbish artist or a dazzling careerist. We do not need a handsome pope, we need a good pope, whose kindness is accompanied by seriousness and whose love knows that those entrusted to him want to be led by him to Christ. A good shepherd who is not afraid of wolves and who knows that it is not about him, but about the Son of God, whose place he represents but whom he can never replace. For him, humility in behavior does not mean ostentatious pauperism, and when he goes to the poor and persecuted he does not call a television crew every time. Certainly the pope needs charisma. Arid and soulless political bureaucrats who, with their constant calculations, serve their own ambitions more than the good of the flock, are out of place today. Charisma is necessary, but papal charisma comes from within, not from without; it comes from the Holy Spirit and is visible in the grace of the ministry. If the pope is aware that he will soon have to give an account to God for all his actions, he will become humble of his own free will. If he recognizes with St. Paul that he must only transmit what he himself has received, he will not confuse creativity with self-expression. If he understands that he is only a representative and an administrator, he will always act according to the will of Christ and without arbitrariness. What we need is a pastor to whom everyone can sincerely say: Holy Father!

5. Experience, competence and wisdom

Any Pope who understands the office he is assuming will have to weep with Peter over himself. But this does not mean that a pope must be unprepared. To govern the Church and be a good pastor, however, experience is necessary. Experience with the flock entrusted to him, experience in leading other pastors and their collaborators, experience of the joys and sufferings of the pastoral task. That is why the wise colleges of cardinals have rarely elected a young pope, but usually a bishop of great experience who at the same time has distinguished himself by his great competence in theology, philosophy, law, history, diplomacy or even in all these fields and in others, like Leo XIII, Pius XII, John Paul II and many others. Knowledge of the universal Church, of the Roman Curia, of world political affairs, of the different cultures and languages, of the human heart and a realistic and expert love for the Church must distinguish every pope who wants to be in any way worthy of this office. Since every pope is only a poor human being, he needs grace, which however always presupposes and permeates nature. A wise and experienced pope is the best instrument of grace!

Of course, everyone will understand that these five obvious and simple criteria of reason exclude many of the candidates who are now enthusiastically promoting themselves and ambitiously aspiring to the Papacy. 

There is no need to add names because it is too obvious: Sapienti sat! Let us pray to the Holy Spirit that the Church may again have a blameless, free, faithful, fatherly and wise pope. This pope will certainly tremble before the yoke of the papacy. Precisely for this reason he must be found and elected: Come, Holy Spirit!

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