WHITE SMOKE, DARK CLOUDS, SILVER LINING 

At 21:47 IST on 8^th May I received a message from a priest friend in Rome that white smoke could be seen emanating from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel. So we had a new Pope.

Frankly, I was surprised at such a short conclave. Secondly, I was shocked that an American had been elected. My first reaction was that Trump’s deep state had a hand in manipulating the cardinal electors to choose somebody who would tow his line. Yes, I too had stuck my neck out to predict a possible winner. I had also, as in the past, written to the Indian cardinal electors to chose somebody more catholic (universal), possibly from the most vibrant church – Africa.

Several Vatican watchers had given their predictions. Everyone was proved wrong. Had the Holy Spirit sprung a surprise, or had human intrigue prevailed? Was it angels or demons a la Dan Brown?

I began to imagine all kinds of conspiracies – Trump going to the inauguration of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, an event that Pope Francis deliberately side stepped. Then there was his Vice President, J.D. Vance calling on the pope the day before he died. Images of the meeting show a visibly agonized Francis and a very casual Vance.  

There was a feeling that this was the last nail in Francis’ sinking health. The next day Vance was in India when Francis passed on. Again the next day (22^nd April) the Pahalgam attacks took place. Was Vance an angel of death, an ill omen? Then we had Trump wearing a blue suit and chewing gum at Francis’ funeral. Was all this part of a sinister game plan?

Then the media dug deeper and told us that Cardinal Robert Prevost, who had now taken the name Pope Leo XIV, also had Peruvian nationality as he had spent decades there as a missionary. Significantly, his previous tweets indicated that he was as different from Trump as chalk and cheese.

He was seen as pro-poor and migrants. He opposed Trump’s policies of separating children from parents, and gun proliferation. He was born in Chicago and worked in Peru where he would have seen the worst of the mafia, organised crime and killings. So he was a man of peace.

He also reportedly took on Vance when the latter talked of a hierarchy of love – first family, then friends and neighbours and if there is any “left over” one could condescendingly give it to the poor and needy. This flew in the face of the parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk 10:25-37) and the Sermon on the Mount (Mat 5:44), the new set of moral values that Jesus espoused,

The new pope has been described as one who has a low profile, not in the limelight, like his charismatic predecessor. He has been described as a soft power. I find this definition interesting and encouraging. People like Martin Luther King Jr, Nelson Mandela and our very own Mahatma Gandhi, all apostles of non-violence, could be categorised as “soft powers”. They are long remembered for having changed the course of history much more than “hard powers” like Hitler, Putin, Netanyahu, Trump and Narendra Modi. History bears testimony that in the final count it is the soft powers that win. Our Lord Jesus is the enduring epitome of “soft power” – “Learn from me for I am meek and humble of heart” (Mat 11:29).

What is also of significance is the name he chose – Leo XIV, probably after Leo XIII who was pope from 1878 to 1903 (25 years). Interestingly Leo I also had a 21 year papacy from 440-461. So are we heading into another long papacy, bearing in mind that the new pope is relatively young at 69?

Pope Leo XIII is best remembered for his 1891 encyclical “Rerum Novarum” (Of New Matters) that was a social not dogmatic or moralistic one. It addressed issues like human rights and social justice. Would these be the new pope’s thrust areas?

On a personal level we are told that he is of mixed Italian, Spanish and French descent. He likes cooking, especially pizzas. In his first public address he spoke of peace, God’s love, building bridges and dialogue. That ticks all the correct boxes. Another facet is that he belongs to a religious order, the Augustinians; just like Francis belonged to the Jesuits. I hope that my diocesan priest friends will pardon me for saying this – that those from religious orders are usually more open to aggiornamento (updating) or ongoing formation.

Where I have my reservations is about his being a canon lawyer. Will he uphold the letter or the spirit of the law? When he appeared on the balcony he wore ceremonial robes that Francis had discarded. So will we be going back to more of ritualism and pageantry? It has also been reported that he is against the ordination of women to the priesthood. Will that be another step backwards? I hope not.

I had an interesting insight. Pope John XXIII opened the windows through the convening of Vatican II. He allowed the winds and even gusts to penetrate a musty and moribund church. But it was left to his successor Pope Paul VI to face the gale force winds of change. He sagaciously steered the bark of Peter to shore. In like manner Francis wanted to create a commotion (I forget the Spanish word he used). Perhaps that is why the cardinal electors chose a safe bet like Leo XIV, who may be more like the sagacious Paul VI. As an ardent supporter of Vatican II reforms, I see Paul VI as the greatest pope of modern times.

Even if the American deep state did not have a hand in the election of the new pope, we need to learn the lessons of history, lest it repeats itself. A couple of examples should suffice. In the 10^th century Alberic was the ruler of Rome. He kept Pope Stephen IX confined to his Lateran Palace for his three year tenure, till he died in 942. His successor Marinus II fared no better. He was holed up with the Cluny monks till his death in 946. Then came Agapitus II. He was forced to take an oath that Alberic’s son Octavian would be his successor. That is how the 18 year old Octavian became pope, taking the name John XII. He spent his time womanising, eating and drinking.

Even more frightening is the case of Benedict VI in 973. He was imprisoned and strangled to death on the orders of Deacon Boniface, who subsequently took the name Benedict VII. He had to escape from Rome only to return and murder his successor John XIV in 984. A hundred years later there was a crazy scenario when there were 4 popes at the same time – Benedict IX, Sylvester III, Gregory VI and Clement II. Hence the need to be eternally vigilant. Soft powers like writers and social influencers have their role cut out for them.               

One more papal vignette, from another Leo, the Xth; who became pope in 1513. At the time there was no money to complete the construction of St Peter’s Basilica. So he began the unsavoury practice of selling indulgences to raise funds. This was opposed by an Augustinian monk (the same order to which Leo XIV belongs). You guessed right, it was Martin Luther, who Leo ex-communicated. I hope and pray that history does not repeat itself here.

The 8^th of May was the day of the papal election. It was also the day that the western world was celebrating the 80^th anniversary of the end of World War II. It was also the day when hostilities between India and Pakistan got ratcheted up. So it is a day that will remain etched in our memory – for white smoke, dark war clouds and hopefully a silver lining for the future.