Brothers and Sisters,

Last Saturday, the body of Pope Francis was laid in his grave after the celebration of the Eucharist in St. Peter’s Square and in front of St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome, where the remains of the Apostle Peter rest for nearly two thousand years. Around 250,000 mourners flooded the streets of Rome and attended the funeral Mass to bid farewell to Pope Francis. Dignitaries, heads of State and reigning monarchs, including the President of our country with his wife, came to show respect to the head of the smallest state in the world, the Vatican, and the leader of over 1.4 billion Catholics. This is no surprise since the pope and Vatican carry a great responsibility for not only Catholics, but for the entire world. Many people and those who are not Christian, along with governments of the states in the world rightly regard the Vatican as a solid point of reference regarding international affairs and especially on social and moral issues.

Since Francis’ death, his name is not mentioned during Eucharistic prayer. We will again mention the pope’s name when the new pope will be elected by the College of Cardinals. The cardinals will meet to cast their vote for the first time on Wednesday, May 7th. They will pray and deliberate at the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, which is beautified by famous frescoes of Michelangelo: The Creation of Adam and the Last Judgment.

The role of a pope, the successor of Saint Peter, is difficult to overestimate. It was Saint Peter, and nobody else, who heard the command of our Lord: “I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Mt 16:18). Since then, the Catholic Church has been working hard for two millennia as the “salt of the earth,” with sacraments of salvation for all, and preaches God’s love and mercy. If Jesus left the world the Church with such responsibilities and mission, so too the leader of the Church naturally has a special responsibility and mission as well. On the shore of Lake Gennesaret, the Apostle Peter heard from the Resurrected Jesus three times: Tend and feed my sheep, which is the Church.

Throughout centuries, popes, with the support of the bishops and laity, have led the Church amid various dangers: from dictators, invaders, nihilists, heretics, and others. However, the Church has been continuing her mission to deliver the unsoiled Apostolic teaching free from faults and mistakes. Under the Holy Spirit’s guidance, the Church has been leading the Ship of Faith to its final destination, amid waves, turbulence, and thunderstorms. The Church was doing this because She has been unceasingly and strongly connected to the Cross of Jesus, to Jesus’ teaching, and is supported by Jesus. On the logo of the Jubilee Year there is an inscription: Pilgrims of Hope. Yes, We, the Church are Pilgrims of Hope because our hope is fully justified and is founded on Jesus’ teaching and nobody else.

Brothers and Sisters, I encourage each of you to actively participate in the election of the new pope. How can we do this? By a sincere prayer that the Holy Spirit be present with the cardinals in the Vatican during this conclave. The cardinals themselves will ask for the support and wisdom from God like the College of Apostles did before choosing the new Apostle in the place of Judas: “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this apostolic ministry” (Acts 1:24-25). Yes, God knows the hearts of all and knows the hearts of cardinals. We believe that the new pope will be a true shepherd following the example of the Good Shepherd – Jesus Christ.

Fr. Mark Jurzyk