As criticism continues to mount against Pope Francis amidst this time of ecclesiastical turmoil, a growing number of peacemakers have emerged, who, in an attempt to diffuse the situation, are quick to offer the reminder that “he was chosen by the Holy Spirit.” One can certainly appreciate the attempt to maintain unity. Especially because the Pope is the most visible sign of Catholic unity. But this path to peace is a theological dead end. The Pope is not “chosen by the Holy Spirit”, at least in the sense that the peacemaker means it. Cardinal Ratzinger, the future Pope Benedict XVI was once asked whether the Holy Spirit is responsible for the election of a pope to which he replied:
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…There are too many contrary instances of popes the Holy Spirit obviously would not have picked!
In his usual pedagogical succinctness, the Pope Emeritus gives us several important reminders, not only on the election of the Pope, but also on the nature of the Church, especially in times of crises such as we are currently facing.
The Holy Spirit and the Conclave
As Benedict is quick to point out, one need only study history to see that this hypothesis is highly questionable. History is rife with scoundrels who came to occupy the Chair of Peter. It is always a good idea to study Church history and remind ourselves of this, especially because most of us have lived under the reign of popes who became saints. It is only with great intellectual dexterity that we could admit that the Holy Spirit “picked” both these saints and someone like, say, Pope Alexander VI.
One might object that, even if it is a highly informed one, Cardinal Ratzinger was just offering an opinion (“I would say so…”). The tradition of the Church would suggest otherwise. Lex orandi, lex credenda—as we worship, so we believe. The Church, among her various liturgies, has a Mass for the Election of the Pope. The Church Universal prays that the Conclave will be docile to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. This implies that they can also operate under the promptings of mixture of other spirits as well.
Free will of the Cardinal electorate then is operative and “anyone” can be chosen. Yet we are also treading on the horizon of free will and Divine Providence. The man chosen to be Pope will be God’s choice, but only in the sense that the papal election, like all things, falls under God’s Providence. We may be certain that the Holy Spirit directly wills the election of a given man as Supreme Pontiff, but through the mystery of Providence will allow another to take his place.
Our Lord told St. Peter that the gates of hell would not prevail against the Church. What He meant by this was that no matter what, the Church would not fail. The Barque of Peter may take on water, but it will never sink. The Holy Spirit will allow the Church to take on water, but will always keep her afloat. That is the extent of His protection.
This however is not the end of the story because of God’s Providence. Regardless of whether it is a good Pope or bad, the Church will always get the Pope it needs. Providence dictates that God will always provide the People of God with what they need.
Reading the Times
There may be a mutiny on the Barque of Peter and the Holy Spirit will pick a strong captain to lead a counter-mutiny, stopping the flow of the water. Or, He may allow another man who joins the mutiny and ignores the water that continues to flow onto the boat. Eventually all the compartments are flooded, washing the mutineers overboard. The end result is the same, the corruption has been washed away and the Church was given exactly what she needed.
In a very real sense then the Pope is always God’s choice but only as an instrument. As a type of the Church, Israel shows us this. History continually moved in the direction towards the coming of the Messiah, the only question was whether the king and the people would cooperate. Israel would flourish, grow fat, play the harlot, be chastised, and continue through the remnant. This pattern is revealed so that we will come to recognize and expect it in the Church. Either way history will continue to move towards the Second Coming.
In turbulent times this ought to serve as a great comfort. The infestation of corruption in the Church is finally coming to a head and God is going to root it out. He will use Pope Francis as his instrument. The only question seems to be which type of captain Pope Francis will be. Either way these scandals should not push us towards despair, but should instill hope into us. God will not be mocked for sure, but neither will He ever abandon His people. He is always on the lookout for co-redeemers—those people who will pick up the Cross with Jesus and lay down their lives for the Church. Only acts of reparation will repair the Church and each of us has an obligation to do this. Every man must come on deck, stem the mutiny and start bailing water or risk being carried overboard. “Penance, penance, penance!” the Angel of Portugal told us through the children of Fatima. The time is at hand. Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!