As the Cardinals who have gathered at the Vatican were just about to begin the process of electing a new pope on Wednesday, the faithful of the Diocese of Allentown came together with Bishop Alfred Schlert to pray for the success of the Conclave.
The Bishop’s special Mass at the Cathedral of St. Catharine of Siena, Allentown began at 8 a.m. Because of the time difference, it was already six hours later in Rome.
There, the 133 men who will elect the Church’s new pontiff had finished their morning Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica and were preparing to head from the Casa Santa Marta guesthouse to the Sistine Chapel, where they would vote surrounded by the frescos of Michelangelo.
“The Conclave is first and foremost a spiritual moment,” said Bishop Schlert in his homily. “It is a moment for the Cardinals to pray as their first task, to be open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and then, in good conscience and for the good of the Church, to vote for the Cardinal they believe will best serve the Church as the next Holy Father.
“We pray that the Holy Spirit will fill whoever is selected with a spirit of courage, and that he will be a man of Communion, a man of utmost faith, and a man who will follow in the footsteps of Peter and be the representative to us of Christ on earth.”
All were invited to the Mass to pray and intercede to the Holy Spirit, as we prepare for this historic moment in the life of the Church.
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