Conclave Info

Daily report. One of my favorite websites -- The Catholic Thing -- is offering a Daily Conclave Report, written by Robert Royal, which will provide what I expect to be good, solid commentary on the happenings in Rome leading up to, during, and immediately after the election of our next Holy Father. Royal, the co-founder of The Catholic Thing, is a well-known Catholic author and president of the Washington DC-based Faith and Reason Institute. His commentaries are always worth reading and I expect he'll provide us with some interesting insights on the conclave and on all those, both faithful and unfaithful, who have descended on Rome. I'm sure, too, this daily report from Rome will act as an effective antidote to the secular media's bias and the drivel to which we will be no doubt be subjected in the coming weeks.

Conclave Graphic. The US Bishops' website has posted a nicely prepared graphic that provides some interesting details on the upcoming conclave. I've included the image below. Just click on the image and you can view a larger, more readable version. You can also click here to view the image on the Bishops' website.

Click on the above image to view a larger version

Conclave History Videos. The Rector of St. John's Seminary in Boston, Monsignor James Patrick Moroney, has placed three videos (each about 10-minutes long) on his blog. The videos, with Italian audio but English subtitles, describe in detail how the Church goes about electing a new Pope. The videos were made during the most recent conclave in 2005 and, therefore, reflect the process following the death of a Pope and not his resignation. But, except for the absence of a funeral Mass and time of mourning, there's really very little difference. Here's a link to the videos: Rector's Blog.

Cardinal O'Malley and his Capuchin Habit. My favorite Cardinal (after all, he ordained me to the diaconate back in 1997) is Boston's Sean Cardinal O'Malley, O.F.M. Cap. Some have counted him among the papabili, those Cardinals who are considered more likely Papal candidates, although I can't imagine an American Pope, at least not yet. Then again, 35 years ago I never would have expected to see either a Polish or a German Pope during my lifetime. So, other than the Holy Spirit, who knows? After all, "the Spirit blows where it wills."

Anyway, during a recent press conference Cardinal O'Malley was asked if he would continue to wear his brown Capuchin habit even if he were elected Pope. Really a very silly question, but typical of what we can expect from the media today. I'm sure we'll hear many sillier things in the weeks to come. The Cardinal just laughed and said that he'd worn the habit for over 40 years and expected to wear it until he died, since he did not expect to be elected Pope. Good answer. Here's a link to the video: Cardinal O'Malley.