well, tomorrow is the start of the conclave. The Cardinals will be choosing our next Pope!
Being only 21 years old, I have never known another Pope!
In 2002 I went to World Youth Day in Toronto and saw JP2 from about 1.5m away (it was amazing!!). I am also going to WYD in Cologne this summer so it will be exciting to see the next Pope!.
I wonder who the next Pope will be....and how long it will take the Cardinals to get a 2/3rds majority (I think that's what they have to get).
Lots of my fellow Catholic friends are semi-worried that we might get a 'liberal' Pope. That is, someone who is pro abortion, contraception, active homosexuality, women priests etc etc etc...
This fear is probably spured by the media and all their rather ignorant speculation and empty opinions about how the next Pope should "reform" the Church.
Personally, I'm not worried about this happening for 2 reasons...
a- The majority of the Cardinals who will be voting tomorrow are JP2 Cardianls; that is, they were made cardinals by him, and have similar moral stand-points as he did
b- (by far the most important reason) The Catholic Church is infallible in her teaching on faith and morals and her teaching is from the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and not from the opinions of men.
As God (who is Truth) can never contradict Himself, the Church could never teach that something which used to be immoral yesterday is moral today. It's absolutly impossible and will never, has never, and can never happen!
I pray that the cardinals will open themselves completely to the voice of God and that the Church may obtain the one of the Holy Spirit's choosing, and that this man may be a person of unparalleled holiness, wisdom & courage (in addition to the required human attributes). ( if this be God's Holy Will.)
But it will be interesting to see who God has chosen next!!
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for interest: Text of the cardinals' oath at conclave
Text of the oath taken by the 115 cardinals voting in the conclave to elect a new pope.
The dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, read the following in Latin:
We, the cardinal electors present in this election of the Supreme Pontiff promise, pledge and swear, as individuals and as a group, to observe faithfully and scrupulously the prescriptions contained in the Apostolic Constitution of the Supreme Pontiff John Paul II, Universi Dominici Gregis, published on 22 February 1996.
"We likewise promise, pledge and swear that whichever of us by divine disposition is elected Roman Pontiff will commit himself faithfully to carrying out the munus Petrinum of Pastor of the Universal Church and will not fail to affirm and defend strenuously the spiritual and temporal rights and the liberty of the Holy See.
"In a particular way, we promise and swear to observe with the greatest fidelity and with all persons, clerical or lay, secrecy regarding everything that in any way relates to the election of the Roman Pontiff and regarding what occurs in the place of the election, directly or indirectly related to the results of the voting.
"We promise and swear not to break this secret in any way, either during or after the election of the new Pontiff, unless explicit authorisation is granted by the same Pontiff.
"And never to lend support or favour to any interference, opposition or any other form of intervention, whereby secular authorities of whatever order and degree or any group of people or individuals might wish to intervene in the election of the Roman Pontiff.
Each of the cardinal electors, according to the order of precedence, then took the oath:
"And I, [NAME], do so promise, pledge and swear."
Placing their hands on the book of the Gospels, the cardinals added:
"So help me God and these Holy Gospels which I touch with my hand."
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