Over the past three weeks, 70 posts have appeared illustrating the Pontificate of Pope Benedict and his Predecessors back to Pius IX. I hope you have found them interesting and edifying. Presenting them has helped me to understand the enduring Blessing of the Papacy and the way it unifies the Catholic World.
There will be a further post in this series, containing photographs of those Triple Tiara presently in existence. A later post will discuss the more general question of the aesthetics of Papal Liturgy. If you are a new visitor to this Blog, please continue to visit here.
Lastly, we return to prayer. The College of Cardinals is responsible for electing the new Pope, not the Media and those feeding them tidbits of information.
Every Catholic plays a crucial role in this process, by praying for God's guidance of the Cardinals in making their selection. Make no mistake, the Cardinals need our prayers. Our prayers might make all the difference, in ways that we will never know.
This fine prayer is the Collect from the Mass for the Election of the Pope found amongst the Votive Masses of the 1962 Missal. Pray it every day:
We humbly beseech you, O Lord, that of your boundless mercy you would grant to your Holy Roman Church a Pontiff who, by his tender care of us, may ever find favour in your sight; and ever be honoured by your people, because of his good government of your Church, to the glory of your name. Amen.
