VATICAN CITY — In a solemn Mass celebrated in St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday morning, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the Dean of the College of Cardinals, called for unity, prayer, and divine guidance as the Church prepares for the election of a new Pope.
The Mass for the Election of the Roman Pontiff was held on 7 May, drawing thousands of faithful alongside the gathered Cardinals. Just hours before the start of the Conclave, the Cardinals joined together in prayer, invoking the Holy Spirit to guide their discernment and lead them to choose a Pope “whom the Church and humanity need at this difficult, complex, and troubled turning point in history.”
In his homily, Cardinal Re emphasized the importance of faith and spiritual unity among the People of God. He spoke of how the early Christian community, as recounted in the Acts of the Apostles, remained united in prayer after Christ’s ascension — a model for the Church today. “We are here, united in faith and love,” he said, “praying under the gaze of Our Lady, beside the altar that stands above the tomb of Saint Peter.”
Re stressed that the election of a new Pope is not merely a human succession, but a moment of profound ecclesial significance. “This is an act of the highest human and ecclesial responsibility,” he said. “Every personal consideration must be set aside. We must keep only the good of the Church and of humanity in mind and heart.”
Reflecting on the Gospel reading of the day, which included Jesus’ commandment to “love one another as I have loved you,” Cardinal Re reminded those present of the boundless nature of divine love. “Love is the only force capable of changing the world,” he said. He urged all Christians to embody this “civilisation of love” — a term once used by Pope Paul VI — that seeks to build a more just and compassionate society.
He also spoke about the need for communion — within the Church, between Bishops and the Pope, and among peoples and cultures around the world. “Unity in diversity,” he said, “is willed by Christ himself.” This unity, Re explained, must always be rooted in fidelity to the Gospel.
As the Cardinals prepare to enter the Sistine Chapel to begin voting, Cardinal Re asked all the faithful to join in prayer for the Holy Spirit’s guidance. “May we pray,” he said, “for a Pope who can awaken the consciences of all people and help us rediscover the moral and spiritual energies that our society so often forgets.”
The world, he added, looks to the Church to safeguard fundamental human and spiritual values — values essential for peaceful coexistence and for future generations.
In closing, Cardinal Re entrusted the Conclave to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, asking her to “intercede with her maternal care, so that the Holy Spirit will enlighten the minds of the electors and help them agree on the Pope that our time needs.”
With the Mass concluded and the Conclave now underway, eyes around the world turn to the Sistine Chapel, where smoke from the ballots will soon signal whether the Church has found its new shepherd.
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