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Is there a captain on Peter’s boat ?

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I just stepped into the Rome I used to know well. I thought I would stop for several weeks and follow the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, the meeting of cardinals, the election of a successor. An exciting programme. But now more than ever I feel the earth move. This is not a stay on the mainland, but it promises to be a ride through rough water.

The uncertainty resulted from Italy’s election polls on Monday night is emphasizing this sense of crisis and instability. No matter how much the Holy See is declaring its independence and rejecting any outside influence on the management of Church affairs and the election of the new Pope, it is hard to believe. We understand, but the context of the succession of Pope Benedict XVI is disturbed by various factors, outside and inside the Catholic Church. His resignation is part of a global crisis. Itis not reassuring.

Just like his masterful pontificate. It never stopped challenging the storm.  It is not surprising that his departure, albeit announced with remarkable serenity on February 11, continues to unleash some unusual inner turmoil. I am not talking here about the daily soap opera of media sensations.  But these days, in Rome, there is something about the Gospel scene of the raging storm, and Christ who seems asleep on the rocking boat. The Pope made a direct reference to this episode this morning. He used the word “trust” twice, but was it reassuring?

We can trust today, but what about tomorrow?

With few exceptions, the Cardinals gathered around him seemed confused. There will be no captain on the boat?

Technically yes, this night, Thursday, February 28. The impression of seeing a boat that is kind of left to its own devices and doesn’t know where to turn is not wrong.

There are certainly these “temperaments”, old sea dogs or tender lambs, these red-dressed cardinals who arrived these days from around the world to support the crew in place, trying to draw maps, define a route and navigation, and to find among them the providential captain who will be able to see far and keep the helm steady, very steady.

There is also a packed crowd, which rushed into the arms of St. Peter’s Square last Sunday and on Wednesday morning, like calm waters that eventually dominate a restless port. These silent waters, formed by simple devotees who came to say goodbye to the Pope, who is retiring behind the dome to live a cloistered life of prayer, are animated by common sense and a strong faith, so sharp to cut the thickest fog.

Finally and most importantly, there was this last speech on Wednesday morning that sounds like a spiritual testament. But it is above all a lesson about man and power. It nevertheless opens a surprising paradox. The quiet assurance of a Pope who knows he made the right choice by leaving the scene and a feverish Senate of the Church, which is still feeling the blow.


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