In the days leading up to the announcement of a new pope, among all the hypotheses, maneuvers, fears, and attempts at prediction, no one truly seemed to imagine who could come out of the College of Cardinals as the new head of the Roman Catholic Church. The Holy Spirit most of the time lets us wander in our thoughts and projects. But then he intervenes. And he does it with a strength that can nearly knock us over but then he grabs us by the hair to recover us before we fall completely.
Toward the end of last week, while I was in Rome, the name of Robert Francis Cardinal Prevost started emerging vigorously as “papabile” along with the narrative that it would be a fast conclave to choose a new pope.
I confess I was a little skeptical at first (an American pope? Nah.) But the more I thought about it, the more I convinced myself it could actually be a good thing. “He is…
