(LifeSiteNews) — Cardinal Joseph Zen delivered a letter to the College of Cardinals listing five criteria he considers to be necessary for a “wise” choice of pope, noting that these criteria “exclude many of those who are enthusiastically offering themselves and ambitiously pursuing” the office.
Zen stressed the monumental importance of the selection of the next pope in his exhortation, shared online by Cardinal Dominik Duka.
“It is not clear whether most people realize that the future of the largest religious community, or rather the entire world, may depend on the election of the Pope,” Zen said. He warned that “Retention of power by those who are in power, under the pretext of maintaining continuity, the selfish ambition of eccentric personalities marketed as charisma, and fear of disturbing the liberal world order are certainly not the reasonable criteria” for electing the pontiff.
He went on to list five “obvious criteria for a wise choice” of pope.
The first is a “good reputation,” something that unfortunately is not a given for a substantial number of clergy.
“Whether it is sexual rumors, financial irregularities, ties to controversial secret societies, or suspicion of political extortion — basic prudence commands that such persons will not be considered at all for Peter’s Seat until all the accusations and assumptions have been completely clarified,” Zen said.
“The Church today cannot afford a Pope with a dark past. His reputation must be as flawless as the whiteness of his garment,” Zen declared.
The second criterion Zen listed is “independence” from particular Church movements, such as the religious order of the Jesuits.
“The Pope is the father of the whole Church: he must stand over these groups and movements,” noted Zen, adding that close ties to a spiritual or secular movement “can restrict the Pope’s freedom.”
The third criterion cited by Zen is “a simple and understandable faith,” not adapted to what is popular for the times but conformed to what has been passed down by Jesus Christ and proclaimed “clearly.”
According to Zen, the pope’s “efforts are to be directed primarily to strengthening spiritual life through liturgy and catechesis, to reviving the faith among young people, to developing folk piety, to the regular celebration of the sacraments,” which “open” the Church to “the effect of grace.”
The Church’s necessary tasks of “theological education, social engagement, cultural significance,” and “caring for the poor and marginalized” must “grow out of faith that was revealed by Christ to the apostles and their successors,” Zen continued.
“The way of the Pope is the way of Christ — not the way of ‘synodality!’” he concluded.
Synodality refers to a kind of decentralization and “democratization” by which Church decision-making purportedly begins with the laity, in contrast to the Church’s traditional “top-down” authority structure instituted by Christ Himself. Champions of Church teaching argue that not only is “synodality” itself contrary to the structure of the Church — it opens the door to heterodoxy.
Zen then stipulated that the pope must have the “charisma of a father” that is “not external but internal.”
“His charisma must radiate fatherhood, not the grandeur of an actor, the superiority of an artist or the flamboyance of an aspiring careerist,” Zen said. His “kindness must be connected to seriousness,” his love must be practiced with an understanding “that those entrusted to him long to be brought to Christ.”
“We need a shepherd who is not afraid of wolves and knows that it’s not really about him but the Son of God,” Zen continued. He then seemed to take a jab at Francis, adding, “For such a Pope, humility does not mean theatrical poverty, and when he visits the poor or persecuted, he does not call the television crew every time.”
The pope who understands he is Christ’s representative will act according to Christ’s will and not “arbitrarily.”
The final criteria Zen listed are “experience, expertise and wisdom.”
“In order to lead and be a good shepherd, he needs experience,” Zen said. “That’s why the wise cardinal college rarely elected young popes, and it was fair to choose bishops with a wealth of experience who were also characterized by in-depth knowledge of theology, philosophy, law, history, diplomacy — or even in all of these areas.”
“Every reasonable person will understand that these five simple and self-evident criteria exclude many of those who are enthusiastically offering themselves and ambitiously pursuing the Pope. No names need to be mentioned — it’s too obvious: Sapienti sat! (A word is enough for the wise)”
“Let us pray to the Holy Spirit to gift the Church again (a) Pope who is blameless, free, faithful, fatherly and wise. Such a Pope will certainly tremble before the weight of this office — and that is why he should be found and elected: Come, Holy Spirit!”
