“There will be a Consistory in May” he said as I entered the living room. My sleepy brain both understanding the meaning of the words and asking at the same time, “Pope Francis died?”
“Around 7:30 AM Rome time, about midnight here.” (Oddly enough right around the time I went to bed.)
Resquiat in Pace.
My next thought is “now his work begins anew”
I took my coffee, words already forming in my head to write to friends. For us in the Diocese of Austin we are Sede Vacante times two. Our local Bishop is now the Archbishop of Galveston-Houston, and we are praying and waiting for a new Bishop to be appointed. And now Pope Francis has died, so the Chair (teaching/governing authority) of Peter is vacant. The election of a new Holy Father will take place sometime in May after a time of mourning, a funeral and an appointed time. This appointed time has to do with the norms around the death of the Bishop of Rome and the election of a new Bishop.
Elizabeth Scalia wrote: The Best of Francis: Five Unforgettable Moments.
Kathryn Lopez wrote: Remembering a Father, Francis
While Pope Francis seemed on the mend from his recent hospital stay there was a sense that we were keeping vigil with him as he passed from this part of life into the next. I suspect we have a lot to learn from this Father, stuff we missed because we are opinionated and faulted and live in a soundbyte rather than in full form. There was much of what Pope Francis said that was taken out of context, Elizabeth points to some of this in her article.
Let us pray for wisdom and guidance for the College of Cardinals as they gather to elect a new Bishop of Rome.
Let us pray for the next Bishop of Rome.
Let us pray for the next Bishop of the Diocese of Austin who will be appointed by the next Bishop of Rome.
On a related note, the speculation has already begun on the “top candidates” on the next Bishop of Rome. The next few weeks will be full of this. Ignore it and simply pray. Pray for the Cardinals, pray for those governing the day to day things that must happen in this in-between moment. Pray. Fast if you are able. Remember friends we are in a Jubilee of Hope.
To quote St Pio of Pietrelcina, “Pray, Hope, and Don’t worry.”
God bless,
Teri
A Quilter's Heart 