Sede Vacante

 

Port Chester, NY-The Chair of Peter is officially vacant.

As some of you know, I've been pulling double duty of sorts, filling in at Holy Rosary Parish here in Port Chester, while still maintaining some office hours at St. Anthony's in Elizabeth, NJ.  The Lord willing I'll be back to my old post at St. Anthony's by June.

Yesterday was one of those office days in Jersey.  Between consulting with my vicar Fr. George (who's done a great job filling in for me) and my secretary (who's had to have the patience of Job) I caught the coverage of Pope Benedict's last hours as the Vicar of Christ.  I felt very emotional watching the coverage.  It is true that Benedict isn't the charismatic figure that John Paul II was, but he still has a presence that radiates the love of Christ.

I recalled my trip to Australia for World Youth Day in 2008.  At the end of the closing Mass the Holy Father was saying his thank yous, and announced the worst kept secret of the week: that Madrid would host the next WYD.  Before he gave the final blessing, he simply told us that he was going.  I spontaneously said, just above a whisper, "No."  I wasn't the only one.  It felt like there was a quiet wave no's spreading through the crowd.  It was the no of a child who didn't want his father to leave.  It was the no of the two disciples along the road to Emmaus who tried to convince our Lord to stay for the hour was late and the night was drawing near.  I felt in a very visceral way that Peter was here with us, our link back to Christ, and I didn't want him to go. It had nothing to do with being close to power, and everything to do with the fatherly presence he exuded.

I felt that yesterday at 2pm local time when I went to the switch that controls our church bell.  As the top of the hour struck I flipped the switch and the bells rang signifying that the Seat of Peter was vacant.  Although the Pope is not dead, Peter was gone, and it was hard to see the difference. 

Opinion on the Holy Father's decision is split.  Some, including Cardinal Pell from Australia, have questioned the decision.  While being critical of Benedict's governing style, he fears this could lead to future pontiffs being pressured to step down by those who oppose them.  Others, of a more progressive stamp than His Eminence, are happy with the move, and are wasting no time offering their two cents to the cardinal electors as they prepare for the conclave.  For them the Church needs a more practical leader who will listen to others after two intellectual popes.  Popes, they argue, who were so smart they didn't think they needed to listen to anyone.

As for the first opinion, I agree that there is a danger that what Cardinal Pell is afraid of could happen.  In this case I trust the Holy Father:  this retirement was long in the planning, and reputedly included that surprising consistory from late last year that added seven new cardinals, all from outside Europe.  I didn't care, though, for the critique of the Pope Emeritus' reign.  I think Princes of the Church should reserve such comments for pre-conclave meetings and not give the press more reasons to speculate on Church divisions.  As for the second, many of these same liberal voices will criticize Pope St. Pius X for not being sufficiently intellectual to address the subtleties of the Modernist crisis, a crisis they claim was imaginary.  In fact the only pope that they will hold up is Blessed John XXIII, and maybe Paul VI.  They are chasing at phantoms, always hoping that the next pope will give them the "reforms" they itch for but will never come. There may very well be reforms coming, but not the kind I think many of the intellectual class will expect.

Yes, Peter is gone.  But we are not abandoned.  The Lord will supply, not always the pope we want, but the pope we need.  Let us pray that the cardinals are open to God's will, and the man chosen is prepared to say yes, and follow through on it.