On the Same Theme

The silliest computer animation ever -- Chicago's NBC5 shows us what it will be like as the cardinals choose the next pope. Description here.

Peggy Noonan also imagines what it will be like for the Cardinals to decide. Despite the lack of graphics, I think that her article is more illuminating. An unnamed cardinal tries to make some sense of the public outpouring at Pope John Paul II's death. He thinks, "Maybe God was telling us something." The crux of her argument (put into the words of an imaginary elderly cardinal) is

"the new pontiff must have a holy soul. He must be a man who prays to God, is led by God, loves God above all. And here's the great problem for us: this person may not be the most charming or accessible person in the world."

I think she may have it there. There are no character, personality, or intellectual criteria. There is no polictical or geographic balance needed. We need a pope with a holy soul. And only the Holy Spirit knows who that is.

In this blog have given links to Papal Brackets, betting parlors, and guessing games. You will not hear any guesses or preferences from me, though. That decision is not for me or any other human to make. I just pray that the cardinals will be able to discern what the Holy Spirit is telling them.