The day I was leaving New Zealand to journey to Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis and the conclave that was to follow, I first went to our cathedral, where it had been arranged for me to meet some reporters.
In one of the interviews, I was asked if I was nervous about participating in a conclave. My immediate response was, yes. I was nervous, I did not know what to expect, and this was a first for me. However, I also said that we needed to remember that the whole experience of a conclave was set in prayer. There would be a Mass for the election of a pope, then the litany of the saints would be sung as we processed into the Sistine Chapel, which meant we would be asking the saints, including past popes, to be praying for us in the task that faced us.
By the time I reached Auckland Airport about two hours later, I received a number of text messages from people saying that they had seen some of the interviews and that they would be keeping me and all the other cardinals in prayer. One person said that she was going to pray the litany of the saints for us every day, up to and through the conclave. I decided to do that myself every night. In a short video, I then appealed to people back home in New Zealand, asking them to join in praying the litany of the saints for us. This appeal was met with a very generous response from Catholics in New Zealand, for which I am very grateful.
From the moment of that interview, I have constantly reminded myself that the conclave is a time of prayer and is set in the context of prayer.
On my first full day in Rome, I attended my first general congregation meeting of the College of Cardinals. Of course, the meetings began and ended with a prayer. To my mind, though, it seemed very perfunctory; it was much like a parish council meeting of the past when a quick prayer is said before quickly turning to business.
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With thanks to the America and Cardinal John Dew, where this article originally appeared.
