Hope in the Pope

When Pope Francis died, I started praying. Praying for his soul, praying for the universal Church, and praying for the Cardinals who would elect the next Pope. With my knees on the ground of the Roman streets during Pope Francis' funeral the need to pray felt immense, even urgent. I can’t remember now exactly how I ended up on Psalm 27 but I did and that became my prayer for all of these intentions.

Psalm 27 is described as a “Trust in God” Psalm. You’ll probably be familiar with a few of its verses such as verse 1; “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The Lord is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid?” or verse 14; “Wait for the Lord, take courage; be stouthearted, wait for the Lord!”

Every line I prayed seemed to prompt a picture of each intention to form in my mind.

Pope Francis:

“One thing I ask of the Lord; this I seek: To dwell in the Lord’s house all the days of my life.” vs 4

The soon to be elected Pope:

“For God will hide me in his shelter in time of trouble. He will conceal me in the cover of his tent; and set me high upon a rock.” vs 5

Or the Church as a whole:

“Even if my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will take me in.” vs 10

Over and over again the lines just cried out HOPE. 

He is TRUSTWORTHY. 

WAIT and you will see your hope fulfilled!

Now that Pope Leo XIV has been elected, these lines have taken on even more meaning.

In fact, the other day, I was listening to a podcast where they were talking about Pope Leo XIV and all they experienced and felt during the announcement of his election. These hosts are American and at one point were reflecting on what it means for us to be able to claim the Pope as one of us. But one comment in particular caught my attention, “It’s ok for us to be excited that he’s American”. She went on to say how a lot of people aren’t sure what to expect or how to view him and so it’s scary to be excited because what if he lets us down- what if he lets me down? My immediate thought was- “It’s ok to hope!” 

Hoping is risky but it’s also essential. It doesn’t promise perfection but it does remind us that perfection in and through Christ is possible. It doesn’t erase our challenges but it does transform how we face them. 

I don’t think this new pontificate coming to be during the Jubilee Year of Hope is a coincidence at all. God ordained this and therefore it is rightly ordered for us to hope. To hope not only in God or in the Church but in the Seat of Peter and the specific man who currently fills that seat.

He’s not going to be perfect but that being said, he is in this role and God has allowed that for Robert Prevost, the individual disciple. So no, we should never place all of our hope in one man outside of Jesus Himself, however, we can hope in him as a specially ordained witness to Jesus Himself as head of the Church.

And that brings us back to Psalm 27. Now that we have a Pope, a father, we may be tempted to ease back in our prayers. We may think the Holy Spirit has done His work in getting Leo elected so now we can sit back and let Leo do his thing.

If there’s anything I learned from the death of Pope Francis it’s that I didn’t pray for that man or his pontificate nearly enough. I don’t know if there is a heavier cross this side of heaven, I really don’t. And as we know, crosses can only be born for so long on one's own. Even Jesus showed us that they must be born together if they’re going to be transformed.

We must pray for Pope Leo XIV and his pontificate. We must pray for all the Cardinals as they have their own crosses and because it’s quite possible that one of them may become the 268th Pope. And we must pray for the Church as a whole.

I think we’re each called to pray for these people in a unique way that God will show us if we ask so I’m going to refrain from making specific suggestions, however, as King David says in Psalm 27: “I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and chant praise to the Lord.”

We will see “the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living” but we must hold onto hope with a stouthearted courage and willingness to offer sacrifice and praise along the way (whichever way God calls you to specifically).

Will you hope in the Pope by praying for him and the Church as a whole? 

I sure hope so 😉