This Is Not the Papal Draft (Put Your Brackets and Hot Takes Away)

+JMJ+ Pope Francis has died. This is a time for deep prayer for his eternal soul and for our church. It is not a time for division, fear, assumptions, or predictions.

The moment the Chair of St. Peter was so much as creaking, Catholic media personalities, X theologians, and that one guy on social media who has been insisting he “knows people in Rome," have now all come out of the woodwork.

Suddenly it feels like Papal Draft Season.

"Breaking news: the race heats up!"

“Top 5 most likely cardinals to be pope!”

“Dark horse picks!”

“The conclave kingmaker you’ve never heard of!”

“If Cardinal X is chosen, it’ll signal a return to tradition.”

“If Cardinal Y is elected, it’s the dawn of a new era.”

Really? This is not the NFL Draft, people. The conclave is not a reality show. There’s no “Pope Idol.” There’s no “Survivor: Vatican Edition.” We don’t vote by text message or vote someone off the Sistine Island. There are no rounds, no podiums, no post-election interviews with someone shouting, “I’d like to thank my seminary professors and the Holy Spirit for this opportunity to live out my dream!”

We, the laity, do not get a say. This is not a democracy. It’s not a popularity contest. It is (or at least, is supposed to be) an act of discernment, not a spiritual version of March Madness.

And yet, Catholics are acting like the conclave is a spiritual horse race.

I even saw that someone started a petition to get a certain cardinal elected. No, this is not how things work.

In light of all this frenzy, it's a good time to remember these wise words from Pope Benedict XVI:

"I would not say so, in the sense that the Holy Spirit picks out the Pope...I would say that the Spirit does not exactly take control of the affair, but rather like a good educator, as it were, leaves us much space, much freedom, without entirely abandoning us. Thus the Spirit's role should be understood in a much more elastic sense, not that he dictates the candidate for whom one must vote. Probably the only assurance he offers is that the thing cannot be totally ruined."

-Pope Benedict XVI

That should bring us some peace!

If the faithful did get a vote, my (completely unserious by the way) pick would be Cardinal Pizzaballa. Please, please get him elected and beg him to choose the name John. Let's be honest, who wouldn't want a Papa John Pizza?

In all seriousness, we should ensure we are praying for the Holy Spirit to fulfill His role and place our trust in Him. It’s possible that we are dedicating too much time to assuming, predicting, worrying, and causing division.

Let's humble ourselves instead of hyping up our favorite theological “teams.”

Let's treat these next weeks with reverence instead of watching like we’re waiting for the Super Bowl halftime show.

It’s natural to be curious. Yes, we all pray and hope for a good, holy pope. But we need to keep in mind that our preferences are not the point. The upcoming conclave is not about who makes us feel good or affirms our own personal vision of the Church (or has a cool social media presence).

It’s about who God wants.

So instead of shouting “Team Tradition!” or “Team Progress!”, how about we shut off the commentary, silence the noise, and just pray?

Pray for the cardinals to be open to the Holy Spirit.

Pray for the Church to be guided by truth, not trends.

Pray for a pope who will serve Christ first, not ideologies.

Pray for Pope Francis’s soul.

Pray for the Church.

Pray for holiness in our future pope.

And pray for one another.

Pope Francis was a man — human, flawed, and in need of mercy, just like all of us. The time for criticisms will come. The time to discuss the issues within the Church will come. But now is not the time. We have lost our shepherd. Regardless of whether or not you have been pleased with his pontificate, it’s time to pray. 

If you’re feeling especially bold, I want to suggest something radical: pray for your own humility. The conclave isn’t about what any of us wants. It’s about what the Church needs. It's about what the Holy Spirit wants. We are not always called to understand God's ways. Rather, we are called to trust them. We are called to completely surrender ourselves to Him. We are called to holiness.

So go ahead and put down your mock conclave bracket.

Log off social media.

And maybe, just maybe… pick up your Rosary instead. Spend some time with Jesus in Adoration. Go to Mass. Go to Confession. 

The Holy Spirit doesn’t need our predictions. He needs our trust and our prayers.

Regardless of whether you adored Pope Francis’s papacy or faced challenges with it (and I genuinely sympathize with anyone who is currently struggling - I truly understand), this is not the moment for fear, division, or conjecture. It is a time to unite and pray. 

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord,

and let perpetual light shine upon him.

May the soul of Pope Francis and of all the faithful departed,

through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Lord, have mercy on us and make us holy!