#popewatch2013
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The Author

Wife to Jerry. Director of Youth Ministry (HS and MS) at St. Ignatius, Martyr. Photographer. Texas Longhorn. Native Austinite. Seeking a life of holiness to hopefully be a saint in Heaven with God. And ACNM Board Member. Working on getting my personal blog back up, but you can still catch me on Twitter @ritamgs. "You cannot be half a saint. You must be a whole saint or no saint at all." -St.Therese of Lisieux *All material published on ACNM by Rita Suva reflects my personal views and opinions as an individual.They do not necessarily represent the views of my employer.*

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popeWe are living in a historic time in the Catholic Church. With only two other popes having resigned before Pope Benedict XVI, we’re in relatively uncharted waters concerning what will be happening in the Catholic Church in the coming weeks and months.

At this point in history as Catholics, we have a unique opportunity to profess and share our Catholic faith. Pope Benedict XVI has shown the world his faithfulness and obedience to God. He is the example we need as Catholics as this time, as living our Catholic faith becomes more polarizing and is seen as negative and “not with the times.”

There are already all sorts of questions, controversy and false stories about why Pope Benedict XVI has resigned, how the election of a new pope will take place, discussion about how the Catholic Church needs to change its stance on things such as abortion, birth control, same-sex marriage, female priests and more.

Now is a time for us as Catholics to learn more about our faith and develop a deeper conviction for the faith we profess. And for many people right now, the best way to start the conversation with a non-Catholic or a less-convicted-in-the-faith-than-you Catholic is to start a conversation about Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation and thoughts on who the next pope will be. So, as we participate with the rest of the world in #popewatch2013, here’s a list of resources to help you understand, explain and pray for all things papal:

Websites:
Electing the Pope: How the Papal Conclave works, and other questions about the papacy

How a Pope is Elected (interactive graphic showing the process of the papal conclave)

Novena for Pope Benedict XVI

Videos:
How to Become Pope (secular video that uses business words like “corporate ladder” and “career”)

How Do They Choose the Pope? (by Busted Halo)

Read, watch, enjoy and learn!

*Please let me know of any other resources to add to the list or comment below with other suggested sites, videos, etc.

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2 Comments
  • Jenni

    “With only two other popes having resigned before Pope Benedict XVI” – More than two have resigned, although the exact number is unclear. Wikipedia says ” only five popes have unambiguously resigned with historical certainty, all but one between the 11th and 15th centuries. Disputed claims of four previous popes having resigned date between the 3rd and 11th centuries.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papal_resignation and if you don’t believe Wikipedia, there are other sources that say similar.

    But I get your point: it’s a rare event and hasn’t happened in a long time. It is a chance to remember how popes are chosen, etc., but I don’t think it is a time “to learn more about our faith and develop a deeper conviction for the faith we profess”. It’s a time to remember church governance. Doesn’t have much to do with faith, per se.

    • http://twitter.com/ritamgs Rita Suva

      Jenni,
      You’re correct, I should have clarified that Pope Benedict
      XVI is only the 3rd Pope to not be forced to resign due to exile by an
      emperor or by being deposed.
      (http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0786.html).

      As for learning more about our faith and developing a deeper conviction
      for it, my point is that more people are showing an interest in the
      Catholic faith. Some of these people are saying things about the
      Catholic faith that are false and others are genuinely curious about
      what the Catholic Church teaches. Even as someone that works at a
      Catholic Church, I’m getting asked more questions about the Catholic
      faith in general, because people know that I’m Catholic. Sure, some of
      the questions are about the Pope, but some are lead to talking about
      priesthood (why only males are priests and why priests aren’t married)
      which have led to conversations about consecration of the Eucharist (why only a priest can celebrate Mass) and what we believe about the
      Eucharist, etc.

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