Spiritual Support...

The Cardinals have the unenviable task ahead of them to elect the next Pope. They need to pray for guidance, and they need to do their utmost to ignore everything other than the good of the Church.

Although we ordinary Catholics cannot vote in the Conclave, we do have a duty to pray for the Cardinals during this time, and to beseech heaven for a good and holy man who will lead the Church. That's why I was so pleased to find Adopt A Cardinal. You send in your email address, and get given a random Cardinal to pray for.

You pray for him to make a good decision, not for him to become Pope (though that is a possibility, obviously!)

Anyway, I signed up, and was given Francesco Cardinal Monterisi of Italy. He's getting on a bit - he'll be 79 at the end of May - and there doesn't seem to be much information about him. I like the fact that, according to the Wikipedia page about him, he is a member of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. That means that he gets to investigate miracles. I like to think that looking at miracles would give one a firm appreciation of spiritual things and having prayers answered... it seems so very... well... Catholic! Helping the poor and working for justice and peace are important, but one doesn't actually have to have faith. Plenty of atheists would behave the same way, though without the benefit of grace.

Over 80,000 people have adopted a Cardinal, and its comforting to think that each of the 115 electors will have nearly 700 people praying for him during the run-up to the Conclave (and during it, naturally, as well as for three days after the election!) Do go over and adopt your very own Cardinal!