May 1, 2025: New Roman Pope

“For it is not against human enemies that we have to struggle, but against the principalities and the ruling forces who are masters of the darkness in this world, the spirits of evil in the heavens. That is why you must take up all God’s armour, or you will not be able to put up any resistance on the evil day, or stand your ground even though you exert yourselves to the full. So stand your ground, with truth a belt round your waist, and uprightness a breastplate, wearing for shoes on your feet the eagerness to spread the gospel of peace and always carrying the shield of faith so that you can use it to quench the burning arrows of the Evil One. And then you must take salvation as your helmet and the sword of the Spirit, that is, the word of God. In all your prayer and entreaty keep praying in the Spirit on every possible occasion. Never get tired of staying awake to pray for all God’s holy people,” (Ephesians 6:12–18, NJB)

Next Wednesday, the Roman Catholic Church will convene a Conclave to select a new Pope—the 267th. The conclave will consist of 133 cardinals representing 71 countries from five continents. While this has no direct impact on us, it remains a matter for prayer.

The Church has never been a perfect organization. From her earliest days, she had to deal with heresies, cliques, and moral failures. She has been called into being by Christ Himself, but she is always engaged in spiritual warfare. There are a multitude of times when she has faithfully stood strong for the Lord. Yet, there are too many times when she has fallen short. As a result, the Church is divided into multiple sects, unable to maintain communion with one another.

But what happens in one part of the body impacts the whole body: faithfulness, integrity, and holiness for her good, sin to the hurt of the whole. Thus, our prayers should be that these cardinals gather with true humility to listen to God’s direction and not their own counsel. Our prayer is that the faith once received be held sacred, holiness pursued, and the good news spread through every land and to every heart. For even though we have real disagreements, we serve one Lord and Saviour.

Several years ago, when Benedict XVI was pope, then ACNA Archbishop, Bob Duncan, and our own bishop, Ray Sutton, met with him. The pope and bishops promised to pray for one another.  For the “principalities and the ruling forces who are masters of the darkness in this world,” thrive where the Church is fighting herself.