Secret Ballots

The papal conclave begins tomorrow in an effort by the "princes" of the Roman Catholic Church, the College of Cardinals, to select a successor to Pope Benedict XVI.

I haven't been to Mass since I was thirteen, and I've never had my confirmation, and although I'm not ready to return to the Church, I may soon approach a period in my life where faith is the only thing I can count on. I don't have much faith, though, in any of the cardinals considered papabile - one with the makings of a pope - as the cardinals prepare to enter the Sistine Chapel. None of the possible candidates mentioned in the media are deemed progressive enough to bring the Church up to speed with modernity - hardly surprising when considering the dominance of conservatives in the College as whole, thanks to the appointments of the doctrinaire John Paul II and Benedict XVI. Just let me say that I would be ready to return to the Church if, should I have children, I could without trepidation leave my sons in the care of a priest . . . and her husband. ;-)

The Church is unlikely to select a pope that could bring that much change to the Church. But the Church could surprise many, including itself, with such a choice. Although the conclave isn't supposed to last any longer than three days - after which it would be in recess for one day before voting resumed - it could still be the longest conclave since 1958. It took eleven ballots that year to select Cardinal Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, who became Pope John XXIII . . . and he changed the Church in less than five years in ways no one could have foreseen. If it takes three days and up to twelve ballots to select a new Holy Father this time, that might not be a bad thing.

Let the balloting begin.