Dear Father,
I was planning to visit the Cathedral in order to earn the Jubilee Year indulgence, but I heard that one of the things you have to do to get an indulgence is to pray for the intentions of the pope. But what happens when a pope dies and there is no pope to pray for? Can you still get the indulgence? Should we pray for something else, or do we have to wait until we get a new pope?
-Inga Dulcis
Dear Father,
I’m not a gambling man, but I’ve seen websites for betting on the cardinal who will be the next pope. Also, I’ve seen many news stories forecasting the next pope. Do the cardinals who are voting already know who they will pick to replace Pope Francis?
-John W.
Dear Inga and John,
Yes, you may still obtain a plenary indulgence, even though Pope Francis has passed away. This applies to all indulgences, whether for the Jubilee Year or otherwise.
As you pointed out, praying for the intentions of the pope is an essential element for gaining a plenary indulgence. One does not need to know the particulars of the pope’s intentions, especially since he has the entire world as his parish, so to speak.
There is a list of intentions of the pope that is tied to each month of the year. Even so, when we pray for the pope’s intentions, we are not limiting ourselves to a particular monthly intention. We are simply making our own whatever the pope has in mind. It is the same when we pray for anyone’s intentions. We can’t possibly know everything in someone’s mind, so we make a general intention to pray for whatever is needed by that person.
However, we are Catholic and we are still “connected” to Pope Francis and all the deceased. The Communion of Saints, which we profess every time we recite the Creed, means that we share a bond with everyone who has passed from this world to either heaven or purgatory. We can still pray for the pope’s intentions. Simultaneously, we pray for all the Church’s intentions.
I hasten to add that we now need to be praying for the reposes of the soul of Pope Francis. We want him to be in heaven, enjoying the beatific vision of the Blessed Trinity and to be with all the saints. Just because a man is pope, he is not automatically canonized. (This goes for all priests and religious, too!) Whatever suffering in purgatory that Pope Francis may need to undergo can be expiated by our prayers and penances. We owe it to him as our earthly spiritual father to pray for him intensely.
There is a special novena called, in Latin, the novemdiales. These are the nine days of mourning and prayer for Pope Francis that begin the day of his funeral on April 26. The prayers can be found HERE.
Now, about that gambling bit.
It’s not smart to place bets on who the next pope will or should be. It is not only indecorous, it’s indecent and shameful, because it compares a most holy office and man with a horserace or roulette wheel.
The election of the next pope by the cardinals is not an infallible matter. Of course, the cardinals are obliged to put aside personal preferences and agendas and politics (both ecclesiastical and national). They must try to listen to the prompting of the Holy Spirit and be guided by Him. They will discuss the needs of the Church and the world. They will agree and disagree. They will vote, most likely multiple times, as they seek some consensus about this most important office.
Can they make mistakes? Of course. But God never makes a mistake. Divine Providence is guiding every split second of each of our lives. God’s plan cannot ultimately be thwarted, including all that He permits to happen. He can and does bring good out of the worst circumstances and evils of our lives.
So, while there may not be infallibility in the papal election, God is infallibly working through the entire process. He will help us have the pope that is needed for our time.
It is most human to discuss what we need in the next pope and speak about it to each other. It is imperative to pray for the cardinals as they also speak about these matters with each other and that they may have the grace to bring about God’s will.
However, to bet on who the next pope will be makes a mockery of God and the Church because one pretends to be God when one puts down money on God’s providence unfolding for the Church. And, to mock God is a sin, a most serious sin!