Saint Michael Parish
Welcomes You
Selection of the New Pope
Prayer for the Selection
of the New Pope
O God, Eternal Shepherd,
Who govern Your flock with unfailing care,
Grant in Your boundless fatherly love
a pastor for Your Church
who will please You by His holiness
and to us show watchful care.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
PREPARING FOR THE SUCCESSOR OF PETER
Having completed the nine-day period of mourning (the novemdiales) since the celebration of Pope Francis’ Mass of Christian Burial, the time of mourning comes to an end this Sunday. The black bunting, flags and wreathes used on the parish church and the picture of the deceased pope placed in the sanctuary with a votive candle, are now removed following the last Sunday Mass.
In Preparation for the Conclave to elect the 267th Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church (set to begin on Wednesday, May 7, 2025), Bishop Bonnar will celebrate Mass at the Cathedral on Tuesday, May 6 at 12:10 p.m. to pray for the inspiration of the Holy Spirit for the Cardinal Electors as they prepare to enter the Conclave. All are welcome to attend. Following the Mass at the Cathedral, the Eucharist will be exposed, and the Cathedral will be open for prayer and adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament until 6:30 p.m., at which time Bishop Bonnar will lead Benediction.
Saint Michael Parish will celebrate its 8:00am Mass this Tuesday with the prayers for the election of a new pope, with a period of Adoration and Benediction to follow until 9:15am, calling upon the Holy Spirit to inspire the Cardinal Electors as they prepare to enter the conclave.
Following the election of the pope, pastors are encouraged to celebrate a special Mass at each parish for the newly elected Pope according to the guidelines of the Liturgical Calendar. Once news of a new Pope has been announced, we will plan for a Mass to be celerbated and make the day and time known either at next weekend’s Masses (or via social media), depending on the length of the Conclave. Immediately upon news of the election of a new pope, even before the Mass of Inauguration of the Petrine Ministry, his name is included in the Eucharistic Prayer. In the church sanctuary or another appropriate place, a fitting picture of the new Roman Pontiff might be displayed, accompanied by a bouquet of flowers. White and yellow material could be draped over the easel or the picture frame. White and yellow bunting may be hung around the main exterior doors of church building. This is removed after the Mass of the Inauguration of the Petrine Ministry.
PROCESS OF ELECTING A NEW POPE
When a pope dies or resigns, the governance of the Catholic Church passes to the college of Cardinals. Cardinals are bishops and Vatican officials from all over the world, personally chosen by the pope, recognizable by their distinctive red vestments.
Following a vacancy in the papacy, the cardinals hold a series of meetings at the Vatican called general congregations. They discuss the needs and the challenges facing the Catholic Church globally. They will also prepare for the upcoming papal elections, called a conclave. Decisions that only the pope can make, such as appointing a bishop or convening the Synod of Bishops, must wait till after the election. In the past, they made arrangements for the funeral and burial of the deceased pope.
Four rounds of balloting are taken every day until a candidate receives two-thirds of the vote.
In the past, 15 to 20 days after a papal vacancy, the cardinals gathered in Saint Peter’s Basilica for a Mass invoking the guidance of the Holy Spirit in electing a new pope. Only cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to vote in a conclave. They are known as the cardinal electors.
For the conclave itself, the cardinal electors process to the Sistine Chapel and take an oath of absolute secrecy before sealing the doors.
The cardinals vote by secret ballot, processing one by one up to Michaelangelo’s fresco of the Last Judgment, saying a prayer and dropping the twice-folded ballot in a large chalice. Four rounds of balloting are taken every day until a candidate receives two-thirds of the vote. The results of each ballot are counted aloud and recorded by three cardinals designated as recorders. If no one receives the necessary two-thirds of the vote, the ballots are burned in a stove near the chapel with a mixture of chemicals to produce black smoke.
When a cardinal receives the necessary two-thirds vote, the dean of the College of Cardinals asks him if he accepts his election. If he accepts, he chooses a papal name and is dressed in papal vestments before processing out to the balcony of Saint Peter’s Basilica. The ballots of the final round are burned with a chemical producing white smoke to signal to the world the election of a new pope.
The senior cardinal deacon, currently French Cardinal Dominque Mamberti, Prefect of the Supreme Tribal of the Apostolic Signatura, announces from the balcony of Saint Peter’s “Habemus Papam” (“We have a pope”) before the new pope processes out and imparts his blessing on the city of Rome and the entire world.
From the USCCB website