Conclave: the Church View vs. the World View

I have glanced at the news of the Conclave as covered by the secular media only briefly. They are treating this as they would any political election, assuming the cardinal-electors would be attentive to worldly matters. They are dredging up the dirt, wherever they can find it. They are promoting their favorite liberal Cardinals (as if media had any influence over the voting). The news media's behavior in these pre-Conclave days shows a clueless lack of professional journalism, that is painfully embarrassing.

Here are some ways the mainstream media (MSM) just doesn't get it:

1. The Scandals.While the cardinals are clearly aware of the scandals that have come to light in the Church, their solution will probably not be what the MSM expects. Most of the scandals have occurred in dioceses led by those who were the darlings of the liberal media. To address this, the Cardinals will want a Pope who is a firm disciplinarian to get these errant dioceses back in line.
2. It's not a popularity contest. Any cardinal seen as campaigning for the position of Pope would automatically be discounted as lacking humility. The Cardinals will not be impressed with a Papabile who is popular with the World. As the old Vatican adage goes: "He who enters the Conclave a Pope, comes out a Cardinal."
3. The Criteria. The MSM thinks the Cardinals will be looking for a Pope to address the social and political issues of the day. In fact, they are much more concerned with the spiritual issues of the day, such as the loss of the Faith among Catholics, how best to preach and teach the Faith, missionary work, and how the Vatican can be best organized for this purpose.
4. The voting. The MSM is under the assumption that inside the conclave they will conduct the voting as it is done in the Houses of Parliament or the Congress. The Papal election process is much older than these modern democracies, and they follow different rules. The time between votes is not spent in speeches and debate, but rather prayer, meditation and recollection. 
5. Who chooses the Pope. It is the Holy Spirit that chooses the Pope. The Cardinals are only His humble instruments.

As the MSM fumbles around trying to makes worldly sense of a government "not of this world" (John 18:36), they would be better served to go back to their high school newspaper staff, as they are clearly out of their league on this issue. As St. Paul observed: "But the sensual man perceiveth not these things that are of the Spirit of God; for it is foolishness to him, and he cannot understand, because it is spiritually examined." (I Corinthians 2:14)

If you want to get more accurate coverage of the Conclave and Papal election, you would be better served to rely on one of the reputable Catholic News sources.

• Catholic New Agency (CNA)
• Catholic News Service (CNS)
• Eternal World Television Network (EWTN)
• National Catholic Register (Not National Catholic Reporter!)