As the conclave to elect a new pope begins in the Vatican, conservative Catholics around the world are praying for a more faithful, traditional pope than the late woke, Islamophile, doctrinally unsound Pope Francis.
Catholics who attend the Latin Mass and Byzantine rites naturally hope for a pope who prioritizes doctrine, Scripture, and dogma over the latest woke political fads and globalist trends. While some might be focused on worrying about potential negative outcomes of the conclave, other conservative Catholics are full of hope for a holy man who will honestly and capably address the multiple crises facing both the Catholic Church and the world today.
The Washington Times reported on views from American Catholics on May 5:
Many conservative U.S. Catholics hope the papal conclave convening Wednesday will elect a successor to Pope Francis who is more focused on tradition and doctrine, church observers say.
“There was a deep sense that in Pope Benedict, they had an ally, particularly for the old Latin Mass,” stated university religion professor Sarah Riccardi-Swartz. “And with Pope Francis, that seemed to go away. That was a point of not just contention but real sorrow for a lot of traditionalists.”
While many tried to claim that Francis was a reformer and an empathetic pastor, the reality is that he prioritized leftist politics over biblical theology and doctrine, fractured the Church, scandalized even non-Catholics, and seriously offended Israeli Jews. He was not even remotely a unifying figure, and his supposed empathy did not extend to Chinese Catholics, traditionalists, persecuted Christians in Africa, victims of illegal alien crime, and many more. No wonder fake Catholic Joe Biden gave Pope Francis an award.
Pope Francis suppressed traditional liturgies, laicized or demoted traditional clergy while elevating a sexual criminal, promoted heresy, ignored persecuted Christians while empathizing with their Muslim persecutors, hurled false accusations against Israel, rewarded abortion advocates and transgender activists, made a disastrous deal with the anti-Catholic Chinese Communist Party, and focused more on climate alarmism than saving souls. Unfortunately, thanks to Pope Francis, traditional Catholics know exactly what they don’t want in a pope through experience.
Related: Opinion: Pope Francis Was More Marxist Than Catholic
But there are overall far more saints than sinners in the lineup of popes stretching all the way back to Peter, and if the Cardinals are this conclave attuned to the Holy Spirit, we can hope for a much better pope than Francis was. Many conservatives favor Cardinal Robert Sarah of Guinea, a faithful and holy man who stands strong on doctrine and comes from an area of the world that is enduring much persecution due to Islamic jihad and corrupt governments.
Sarah has condemned moral disintegration in the West and urged reform within the Church. He is part of a smaller, more traditional cohort at the conclave that includes also Cardinal Raymond Burke of the United States and Cardinal Joseph Zen of China. Burke asked Catholics to pray for the conclave with a novena (nine days of prayer, based on the apostles’ prayer between Ascension and Pentecost, Acts 1-2). The novena asks the Blessed Virgin to intercede with her divine Son to ensure a holy pope for His Church. May God grant it so.
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