UAE: Next Pope must put people first, be a pontiff for peace, Catholics say
On May 7, Wednesday, 133 cardinals from 70 countries had a meeting regarding the Conclave, which is the historic method of selecting a pope and in this case, the successor to the late Pope Francis. Over the past few days, various suggestions were made regarding names to be case for the election, but there is so much confidentiality in this case that cardinal-electors cannot share details until the process is complete.
The identity of the 267th Pope will only be revealed after white smoke is seen emerging from the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City. Believers agree that the successor is required to guide the 1.4 billion Catholics around the globe but also, as they put it, “delivers the weight and wonder of Francis’ radical humility.” Someone who is able to turn conviction into boldness to deal with a world riddled with wars and strife.”
As a Benedictine monk, Dom Venard was known as Rex Bacarra but now he claims, “Each transition in the papacy is prefaced by stillness. Not silence, but a collective globally holding their breath. Every Catholic is nervously awaiting the next sound from the mic situated at the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.”
In the same manner Bacarra who formerly worked as administration director and taught Philosophy and Humanities at San Beda College in Manila, said, “While the Catholic world awaits eagerly who will succeed him, the deeper question is not who is the next pope, but what he needs to be.”
Now, Bacarra is a faculty member in Rabdan Academy, Abu Dhabi, teaching Ethics, and unlike many of us, he does not have a particular seeming favorite among the potential successors of Pope Francis. “Truth is, I couldn’t care less if he is Italian, Filipino, Congolese, or Indian. His nationality is a mere frame. The important thing is whether the next man in the white robe will be able to bear the weight and wonder of Francis’ radical humility.”
Bacarra further elaborated, saying, “Pope Francis boldly disrupted things. Bush made France Pop and broadened their view. He exceptionally put a title to ecology as a moral issue by Laudato Si, meaning caring for Earth is not only a matter of science or politics; it is an ethical imperative. He forcefully told the globe caging Earth is a command, not an option. But not only that, he put a question mark on capitalism’s surpluses alongside the disvalue of materialistic ideologies. He referred to goods and even humanity waste culture as throwaway”
“Pope Francis his 2019 visit to the UAE remains in my memory to this very day. It made shockwaves.” It made interfaith not only aspirational but tangible as well, he noted.
Bacarra stressed the next Pope needs to be “a conduit through which the silence of the poor, would resound.” “Pope Francis did not speak only from the pulpit; he came down to wash the feet. He met the needy. He asked the questions that too many people were too scared to ask. Even within the Church, the way he championed financial scrutiny and accountability from Church leaders was reformative to people’s nerves.”
Pope for peace
Bacarra went on to say the next Papal title we will use is a Pope for peace. “Pope Francis, even when his health was failing, continually prayed at night for the people in Gaza’s Holy Family Church, showing to the world his care and compassion in conflict.”
“Pope Francis had the courage to ask: Are we too quiet? Do we need to more power in the world? Those are difficult questions that have not been well received. You know he was doing something right. Real reform does not comfort theadebted. That is the attitude the next Pope should inherit,” he added.
With concern for the current state of everything from armed conflicts to technology ethics to the perceptions of patriotism, Baccarra says that we require a leader who shows courage, one who puts people first, translates faith into action, and protects more than just an institution.
St. Mary’s Catholic Church’s Fr. Michael Cardoz said, “The next pontiff must be a shepherd for peace.” It is clear he supports the idea of achieving more balance and unity between different religions and advocates for the ecumenical movement, environmentalism, and prioritizing aid for the needy.
“He also cannot forget about the guidance of the Holy Spirit, which must be accompanied by the active involvement of the faithful and volunteers,” he remarked, commenting on the future Candidate for Pope.
Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia Bishop Paolo Martinelli OFM Cap called on all parishes across the UAE and neighboring countries to support the ongoing Conclave with prayers.
He commented: “I also expect the parish priests to make certain that the faithful have the possibility to pray together for this specific intention. There is no specific need to create additional moments of prayer, but I first of all invite you to pray for this intention during the holy masses, in the prayer of the holy rosary, liturgy of the hours, and in the adoration of the blessed sacrament.”
“I ask all the ecclesial associations and movements to pray intensively for this intention. Let all the faithful pray both individually and with their family asking the Holy Spirit to grant them the power to guide the cardinals during the conclave to choose the new holy father,” added Martinelli.
For Bacarra, the question the Conclave needs to ask should not be who theologically poses the least risk. “They need to ask who has the courage to walk towards the wounded, the forsaken, just like Pope Francis did.”
Will the next pope be someone who does not lecture, but instead listens? Is he someone who turns out to view leadership as not something grand, but graceful, just like how Pope Francis viewed it?
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