The Holy Catholic Church, the only church founded by Jesus Christ, is today, in the state of sede vacante, meaning the Chair of the Holy See is vacant.
On Monday April 21, 2025 the Camerlengo,Cardinal Kevin Farrell, announced to the whole world, saying:“This morning at 07:35 local time (05:35 GMT) the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father,”Cardinal Farrell, an Irish-born American prelate, was made Camerlengo in 2019, which makes him have the responsibility to act as the interim head of the Holy See (Vatican) after the death or resignation of the Pope. He also presides over the Conclave that elects a new Pope.
Pope Francis’ one-way trip to Heaven, can be said to be very blessed. The Supreme Pontiff was ill and hospitalised for 38 days before discharged on March 23, 2025 and returned to the Vatican. Catholics were full of hope that he would stay much longer with us. He undertook some of his usual assignments, making public appearance at the St. Peter’s Square on April 6; meeting all seventy inmates of the Regina Coeli prison, individually, on April 17;going to the St. Peter Basilica on April 19, to pray before the Easter vigil and on April 20, Easter Sunday, he appeared in the St. Peter’s Square and gave Easter blessings, then briefly met the US Vice President, J.D. Vance in his office.
And at 5:35 Hrs. GMT the next morning, Pope Francis left for the life hereafter in Heaven. From hospital, the twenty-nine days were just enough to wave us, his final good-bye. And how sweetit was, when he gave us blessings on Easter day and departed the morning after. May his soul be elevated among the Elect in Heaven.
Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio on Wednesday, 17 December 1936 in Flores, Buenos Aires, Argentina. At age 21, after suffering from a life-threatening pneumonia, one of his lungs was removed.
Pope Francis was ordained a Jesuit priest, on December 13, 1969, consecrated a bishop on June 27, 1992 and created a cardinal by Pope John Paul II, on February 21, 2001. He was elected pope on March 13, 2013 and died on April 21, 2025 at age 88 years.
At the moment the Catholic Church is in the state of sedevacante, and during this period, two very important events will take place, the funeral of the late pope and the Conclave to elect a new pope.
His funeral arrangements are already underway.
The Conclave: The Conclave is a private assembly of cardinals who meet in a concealed environment to elect popes. Conclave is a combination of Latin words, cum (with) and clavis(key) to mean locked room.
Today the College of Cardinals is made up of 252 cardinals, of which 135 who are below 80 years, are electors, and so, are eligible to form the Conclave to elect a new pope. In Africa there are 29 cardinals out of which 18 are electors.
The apostolic succession which is the unbroken transmission of spiritual authority from the Apostles through successive popes and bishops to this day, is maintained in the Catholic Church. Even though St. Peter’s successor was not named in the Bible, early Church fathers, like St. Irenaeus and Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea bore testimony, that St. Linus succeeded him as head of the Church.
Initially, the choice of successor to popes was not done in secluded areas.
After the death of Pope Clement IV in 1268, the election of the next pope took almost three years, with gross interferences from ‘outsiders,’ including politicians. After all this Teobaldo Visconti, was elected the 184th pope, in 1271, and took the name, Pope Gregory X.
Pope Gregory X, was a layman before his election as pope. A few laymen have been elected popes in the history of the Church. By Canon 332, when that happens, they must be ordained priest, consecrated bishop before they become pope. In fact, any baptized Catholic male is canonically eligible to be elected pope.
Pope Gregory X, instituted the Conclave for the election of popes. A number of important points were legislated, which included using a completely secluded area, where no one comes in or out during the balloting for a pope.
So, very soon, Conclave will be assembled to elect Pope Francis’ successor. Already,public opinion is ranking papabile (Italian for pope-able) among cardinals, who people think should succeed Pope Francis. Here in Ghana, Ghanaians are proclaiming Cardinal Appiah Turkson as the one to become the next pope, because it is now time for an African pope. In fact, that will make him the first African pope after 1,529 years. There were three African popes in history, Pope Victor I (14th Pope. 189 – 199 AD and native of Libya); Pope Miltiades or Melchiades the African (32nd Pope. 311-314 AD and from Carthage) and Pope Gelasius I (49th Pope. 492-496 AD and from Morrocco). But most importantly, Cardinal Tuckson could be the first Black African Pope.
In as much as we are wishing our first Cardinal’s success during the next Conclave, we must rather humbly pray and beg God to make this happen. Projecting him high with loud sounds, should not be the way. In the matters of Conclave, things do not work out like that. Public opinions do not play any role in the choice of a new pope. An old Italian saying which stresses the uncertainty of the balloting of popes, goes like this: “He who enters a conclave as a pope, leaves it as a cardinal.”Because God’s thoughts and ways are not our thoughts and ways and so, it always happens that those ranked highin the polls before the Conclave, never make it.
Cardinal Siri, Archbishop of Genoa, and Cardinal Benelli, Archbishop of Florence, were papabili in the October 1978 Conclave but Cardinal Wojtyla, was elected to become Pope John Paul II. Earlier in August that year Cardinal Luciani was not ranked highly, but he got elected, to become Pope John Paul I.
In the 2013 Conclave, the list of papabili, did not rank Cardinal Bergoglio high. In fact, Cardinal Turkson was among the top rankings, but the Argentine was elected to become Pope Francis.
So, I only pray that we humbly and quietly pray and beg God to give us a Ghanaian pope, for God always listens to the cries of the lowly.
The Papacy: The attacks on Catholicism by Protestants, include the papacy and apostolic succession, which they claim has no origin in the teachings of Christ and His disciples and was never mentioned in the New Testament.
It is rather unfortunate that the same people who accuse Catholics of not reading the Bible, have access to the Bible but do not understand what they read.
Of course, the word, papacy, is not in the Bible, however it is the name given to the office instituted by Jesus Christ, for the mortal leader of His Church. Jesus Christ is the God of Orderliness and so must His Church be. In Matthew 16: 15-19, He singled out Apostle Peter for the singular role of leading His Church, here on earth. St. Peter was made the spokesman for the evangelists (Mt. 18:21; Mk. 8:29; Lk. 12:41 and Jn. 6:67-68); St. Peter is often the central figure in dramatic scenes in the Gospel, (Mt. 14:27-28; Mt. 17: 24-25; Mk. 8: 29 and Lk. 5: 3-8); St. Peter was always named first when the apostles are listed, (Mt.10:2; Mk. 3:16-17; Lk. 6:13-14 and Acts 1:13) and the Gospels make explicit statements about St. Peter’s unique role in the Church, (Mt. 16: 15-19; Lk. 22: 31-32 and Jn. 21: 15-17).
Jesus Christ, knows that for good administration of His Church, there must be one leader at all times. When He picked the Twelve, He was their leader, and knowing He was not going to be physically present all the time, He appointed a leader, in the person of Simon Peter, to head the Church.
After Peter, there was a successor and so on to this day,through to the end of time. That is why as the Church founded by Jesus Christ, the Roman Catholic Church has maintained this order of succession from Christ who handed the Church over to St. Peter,who was succeeded by St. Linusand all the way down to Pope Francis who will be succeeded by a new Pope, soon.
If according to the Protestants, apostolic succession is not Biblical, what does Acts 1: 15-26 tell them? The successor of Judas was elected and Matthias won to join the apostles (bishops). In the Book of Psalms, it is written in Ps. 109: 8, “May his days be few;may another take his office.” This is a prophecy.So, what proof again is needed to demonstrate that the papacy and apostolic succession is biblical? If Judas could be replaced, then how much more, Peter?
Do the Protestants not have spiritual leadership with one man as the head? Are they not replaced after their demise or retirement? So, what is their problem here?
Catholics may not read the bible the way the Protestants do, however, whenever the Catholics read the bible, they open up to the Holy Spirit to guide them through, that is why it is said “the Catholic Church is the Scriptures and the Scriptures is the Catholic Church.”
Pope from the Latin ‘Papa’, means father and his office is the papacy which was instituted by Jesus Christ.
By Hon. Daniel Dugan
