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BRAINTREE -- Speaking on the election of the new pope, Archbishop Richard G. Henning took inspiration from the Rolling Stones: "You can't always get what you want. You get what you need."
His comments came during his homily as he celebrated a special Mass for the Election of a Pope at the Archdiocese of Boston Pastoral Center's Bethany Chapel in Braintree on May 6, the day before the start of the papal conclave in Rome.
The chapel was packed with faithful who prayed that the Holy Spirit guide the cardinals who will choose the successor of the late Pope Francis. In his homily, Archbishop Henning said that it is only human that the world is speculating and debating who will become the next pope.
"But fundamentally, all of that is just chaff," he said, "because the central purpose here, of the election of a pope, is not a campaign. It is not an election in the usual sense. It is the desire of the universal church, through its cardinals, to listen to the will of God."
He said that there may be many different opinions about what the pope should say and do, and what opinions he should express.
"The fact is that what matters is that he do God's will," the archbishop said, "and that's not always the same as what you and I think. So I hope, as we gather here today in prayer, we open our hearts so we're not just praying that God will inspire the cardinals. We are, I hope, praying for the man who will take on the burden of that office, but also praying that we will have the wisdom to open our hearts. And to love this new Holy Father, because he is sent to us by God."
He said that theologians often use the word "scandal" to describe God becoming human in the form of Jesus Christ and that it is indeed scandalous to imagine that sinful, imperfect people would form the Body of Christ on Earth.
"In a very real sense, the church, imperfect as we may be, we are a part of his story," he said. "We are a part of the story of salvation. We trust the Lord Jesus, but in a very real sense, he has entrusted to us his work of reconciliation and healing. He feels that deep tenderness and affection for us."
The responsibility of the conclave, the archbishop said, is to elect a man who can unite the people of every language, culture, and ethnicity who make up the Catholic Church.
"It's a remarkable thing," he said. "And the Holy Father, above all, more than almost any other element of his role, he is that center, that unity that draws us to one another, in communion with the Lord and with the church."
However, the archbishop reminded the assembly that the pope "is not going to minister to Boston."
"It's us," he said. "We have to proclaim the good news. We have to serve the poor. We have to help those who are broken. We have to build up the Body of Christ here. He doesn't do that for us. He gives us that connection to each other, but we are entrusted, scandalously, with that work here."
Before the Mass, Archbishop Henning met with members of the media in the Pastoral Center lobby and took questions.
"I hope always for a Holy Father who is himself a man of humility and faith, and who will listen to the same Holy Spirit, will listen to the people of God," he said when asked what qualities he hopes to see in a new pope. "But I think it's really going to be his responsibility to discern and govern for the universal church. So I think my hope mostly is about a man who's authentic, a man who loves Jesus Christ, who lives by his word."
He said that elections for popes are not "winner takes all" like political elections in the U.S.
"The goal in the Catholic Church is that, with this election, we're all happy because the Holy Father is given to us by that inspirational Holy Spirit," he said.
Reflecting on the ministry of Pope Francis when faced with divisions within the church, the archbishop said that the late pope was provocative because he wanted people "to see the world in a different way." He added that Catholics should treat each other with respect and learn from each other's disagreements.
"We have to learn to kind of swim in the waters we're in," he said. "And this is part of human nature. We all disagree, but in the life of the church, we strive to be a communion, not a political body but a family of faith."
As he has been visiting parishes and schools throughout the archdiocese, Archbishop Henning said that he has found "great affection" for Pope Francis among the people.
"People felt that he understood them, that he listened to them, that he loved them, and that meant a lot to them," he said. "So I think there is a sense of loss, but there was also a sense of, he passed to our Heavenly Father at Eastertime. There was a sort of beauty to that, that last messaging that he offered to us. And I think now, as our nine days of mourning have come to an end, there is now that excitement of who will be the next Holy Father."