By Archbishop Thomas Wenski - The Archdiocese of Miami
Archbishop Thomas Wenski preached this homily while celebrating a Mass for the election of the Supreme Pontiff, May 8, 2025, at St. Martha Church in Miami.
At Wednesday’s Mass in St. Peter’s Square before the Cardinals entered the Conclave to elect a new Pope, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re said: “Today's world expects much from the Church regarding the safeguarding of those fundamental human and spiritual values without which human coexistence will not be better nor bring good to future generations.” He prayed that the Holy Spirit would give us a new Pope “according to God’s heart for the good of the Church and of humanity”.
It does seem, at times, that the world does not think that it even needs the Church. But the fact that not only Catholics but also that everyone else awaits anxiously to see “white smoke” emerge from the roof of the Sistine Chapel shows that the world does expect much from the Church and her shepherds.
In the history of the Church there have been good popes and bad popes - with many mediocre ones, just like there have been priests, bad priests - and mediocre ones. But in the last hundred and fifty or so years, we have been blessed by some truly holy and great popes. Pius X, John XXIII, Paul V and John Paul II have been canonized.
In praying for the election of the Pope, we are not praying for this one or that one - whoever our favorite candidate may be. No, we are not praying for the Pope we want, but for the Pope we need, the Pope the world needs to safeguard, as Cardinal Re said, “those fundamental human and spiritual values without which human coexistence will not be better nor bring good to future generations.”
If you watched the cardinals entering into the Sistine Chapel, you saw behind the main altar Michelangelo’s painting of the Last Judgment. That image of Jesus the judge should concentrate the minds of the Cardinals as they choose one of their number to walk in the shoes of the Fisherman.
