3rd Sunday of Easter – 2025
Fr. Mark Gatto
Preached: May 4, 2025
Who will be the next Pope?
For the last couple weeks, the Catholic world, and really, the entire world, has been filled with news about the Pope. The last days of Pope Francis, with his final entering among the people in St. Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday. His death on Easter Monday followed by his funeral Mass last Saturday with over 200,000 people gathered and who knows how many watching on TV, Youtube, and so on. Next week the Conclave of Cardinals to select a new Pope will begin. Even a movie called Conclave came out in this past year showing the interest about the Pope in our world.
But, for us as Catholics, who is the Pope and what is our relationship with the Pope?
First of all, the Pope is the Bishop of Rome. The Apostles have passed on their role to a suc-cession of bishops continuing through the ages to our own day. We call this Apostolic Succes-sion. In this way we remain in communion with the first Apostles through our bishops today. The first among the Apostles was Peter. Jesus called the Apostle Simon and named him Peter, the “Rock” upon which he would build his church. Jesus gave him the keys of the kingdom of God and instituted him to be the shepherd of the whole flock.
As the successor of Peter, the Pope is a visible sign of the unity of the universal church throughout the world and through the ages.
To understand the Pope we need to go back and look at Peter in the New Testament. In the Gospel we heard at today’s Mass, was read at Pope Francis’ funeral Mass. In this Resurrec-tion account from John’s Gospel we hear that famous personal encounter between the Risen Lord Jesus and Peter. Jesus asks him three times, “do you love me?” Just as Peter denied Je-sus three times before the Crucifixion, now his love for Jesus is to be confirmed three times.
We learn two things about the Pope from this encounter.
First, that the Pope is a believer like all of us. He is a simple man and he is a sinner. Like us he needs repentance.
Secondly, we see that the first qualification for the Pope as the successor of Peter, is to love Jesus. Many are talking about the election of the new Pope and who might become the new Pope. Ultimately, we trust that the Holy Spirit will be at work in this very human process of the Cardinals gathered in Conclave. Whoever is selected as Pope will simply need to answer that question of Jesus, “do you love me?”
After questioning him, Jesus commands Peter, “feed my sheep.” Here we see the important mission of the Pope. To feed us. A Pope feeds us in his teachings. This includes written doc-uments, homilies, speeches and symbolic actions. Pope Francis taught us by his writings and his symbolic actions. Words that come to mind, Joy, Mercy, Care for our Common Home, Brothers and Sisters All. Synodality that tells us as Catholics that we are all to walk together in the mission of the Church.
The Pope as the Bishop of Rome is the successor of Peter, and as first among the Apostles, is called to feed us and lead the church.
But, it is important for us to look at what our relation is as Catholics to the Pope? What is our role in connection with the Pope?
First, we are to be ready to be fed by the Pope. We pay attention to the Pope and allow him to feed us in his teachings and actions. Read what he says and watch what he does. Learn from and be fed by the new Pope. These days there are many who want to teach the Pope rather than be taught by the Pope. We are to be fed by the Pope, not spend our time judging him.
Second, the Pope should remind us that we are in communion with the church throughout the world and through the ages. At each Mass we express that we are in communion not just as one small parish, but in communion with the diocese of Hamilton through our bishop, and in communion with the universal church by being in communion with the Pope. During the Eu-charistic Prayer, we are reminded when we pray to be in union with our Pope. Notice that at this time when we are without a Pope this is excluded until a new Pope is named.
The Pope has an important mission and role in the life of the Catholic Church. But, we bap-tized members of the Church are also called to be connected to the mission of the Pope. We are to remain in communion with the Pope and to make an effort to be fed by the Pope.
Our patron Saint, Saint Catherine of Siena, had a special devotion and concern for the Pope. She challenged the Pope, supported the Pope and prayed for the Pope. She realized the im-portance of the Pope as the successor of Peter. We too should pray for the Pope. This week pray for the Cardinals in Conclave. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide the election of our new Pope.
Who will be the next Pope? We may be curious about who he will be, but something more important is that we be communion with whoever becomes the new Pope. In this way, we re-main in communion with the universal church throughout the world and through all the ages. The Pope is one we should look to, in order to be fed in our true Catholic Faith. The Pope is one we are to support by our prayers.
