Papal Conclave - 2007 The Vatican - Habemus Papam... Leo XIV!!!

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Yea

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My fellow brothers, I pray that the next successor of Peter will live up to the recent examples of Benedict and John Paul. I pray that we can come together and find our new sheperd to lead us in this world which is ever  less welcoming to faiths such as our own.

Whomever that new shepherd be, I pray that he shall have the courage to  stand proudly and proclaim His word, and the wisdom to guide our Church through this new age. Amen.

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Antony Cardinal Miller

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(Cruijff stands to speak)

My brother Cardinals,

Cardinal von Frick has raised a most important issue which goes to the very heart of what it is we do, of what ur function is as disciples of Christ.
My respected brother Cardinal said:

Our Church is a vessel for the granting of the Sacraments to the faithful.

This is certainly true - the sacrements are crucial and central to our function and our place in this world. However, our work in not to simply to carry out these sacrements, it is much more fundamental than that - our mission is much more simple than that - it is to spread the word of our Lord and saviour. To encourage as he did respect and understanding, to promote good works and most of all to promote faith in God.

The sacrements are tools we have been granted to help achieve these goals and they can are and will remain central to the work of the Church, but we must never lose sight of our ultimate aims and ambitions in doing so.

(Cruijff returns to his chair.)

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Cardinal Cruijff

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*Cardinal Cruijff rises*

I have been truly fascinated by the discussion on Saints, inspiration and spiritual guidance.

I must say that personally, I have always been fascinated and inspired by the story of Patrick, first saint of Ireland. Patrick converted a nation to the Word of God, with fervour and passion which rubbed off on those he spoke and worked with in his mission.

Patrick suffered great trial and tribulation, having been enslaved by the very people he would eventually lead to the Christian faith. His faith in God was truly well rewarded.

"If I have any worth, it is to live my life for God so as to teach these peoples; even though some of them still look down on me", Patrick said. Patrick, by his own words, was not an intellectual, he was not greatly learned in the theology of his faith, yet despite this he was able to lead a great missionary movement.

To this day, his work is revered and rightly so. Patrick's devout faith led him through difficult times and helped greatly in expanding the Christian faith with revolutionary speed.

"If I have any worth, it is to live my life for God so as to teach these peoples; even though some of them still look down on me."

I have no doubt that the life of Patrick holds many messages worthy of consideration still today.

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Cardinal Cruijff

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My friend, Brother Bertone, you have risen matters of great importance before this conclave and for that I am personally very thankful.

In recent years, I have had the great benefit of having witnessed at close quarters the papacies of Benedict and John Paul. Two very different men with different approaches to their work, but both proved eminently capable and effective. It has been my life’s work serving the papacy. I give prayers of thanks each day for the unique opportunity I have had to serve as Camerlengo. I have been privileged to see the great work which can be done from St. Peter’s, the great hope it represents, the unending possibilities it presents.

You ask, Brother, who is the right kind of man to lead our Church. This is not a simple question and so, unsurprisingly, I have no simple answer. The world in which we work is one which changes rapidly, which challenges us all. In order to remain strong, remain visible, remain relevant, we must be able to capture and hold the attention of those who need to hear our message the most. 

I feel that what would help most, what we need most is a leader with gravitas - someone to whom people listen, someone who commands respect, someone who clearly believes in his work and is willing to reach out and instil that belief in others.
How do we recognise someone with these qualities? We can only know it from seeing it in action and from listening to our hearts and our minds.

But this is obviously not enough. That which is most important for any Pope, in all aspects of his work, is devotion. Devotion to God; devotion to the faith and the faithful; devotion to working tirelessly to belief that his work is relevant and that through that work the world can be made a better place. It is this devotion which I believe is a common thread which our finest Holy Father’s have exemplified.

Finally Brother Bertone, you ask whether the office makes the man, or rather the man makes the office. There is no doubt in my mind, that it is the man who makes the office. Each Papacy is defined by the spirit of its occupant. The office of the Papacy is not necessarily, of itself, effective in achieving the aims of the Church. There are those who have been over-awed by the immensity of the role and may have failed to meet their full potential. There are others, such as John Paul II, who managed to constantly surpass expectations of what was possible. It is from he, whom I draw the confidence of my convictions in this regard and to whom I owe the greatest opportunities I have been presented with. This is but one lesson of many which I learned from having worked so closely with him, all of which I am truly thankful for.

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Cardinal Cruijff

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Cardinal LaCroix, if I may, I have just a few words...

Brothers,

I have formed the view that there is a need for the convokation of a new ecclesiastical council. The world today is changing at a rate faster than ever before. Our church has also changed - our potential reach is greater than it has ever been. It is clear to me, and indeed evidenced in part by the differences of opinion within this very conclave, that a new council could prove very beneficial in ensuring we speak with one voice, united in our faith and united on what path our Church should follow.

There are many issues which I believe that we ought to clarify our position on for all to see clearly where we stand, issues which were not and indeed could not have been considered at previous convokations.

I would ask my Brothers, are you supportive of the idea that it is now time for a new council to convene?

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Cruijff

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Brothers,

I recommend that our next council take the widest possible examination of the Church today and that no issues be left off the table. We face a new era where there are many problems but also great opportunities. There should be no hurry on any such council, we are a large body and everyone must be given the opportunity to have their opinions aired. This process may take some years, but I believe it will be worthwhile.  We have nothing to fear and I believe collectively we can set the way forward for our Church so that it may remain strong and vibrant in the future. I would endorse any decisions collectively reached by such a council, as I hope my fellow brothers would also.

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Cardinal Cruijff

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Brothers,

If I may steer the discourse to a new direction. I wish to speak, if I may, on the need that I feel is present for our Church to speak out more loudly on issues of social and economic justice - matters which seem to be increasingly overlooked in the name of globalisation.

This world we live in is far from perfect and we cannot hope to solve all the problems that arise. But we can let the world know whose side we are on and we can try and force others to recognise where there are problems and what must be done to try and solve them.

It seems to me today that there is an exploitation going on, an exploitation of the less fortunate to the benefit of the well off. Our voice has not been strong enough in our condemnation of forces which have gravely negative effects on many of our flock. When Rome speaks, the world still listens. Let us make use of this audience to try and put pressure on those who support these practices. Let us highlight injustice where we see it and be not afraid to stand up against it.

For the good of the world's poor, for the good of our community, for the good of ourselves - let us be able to stand and speak with one voice to try and convince the world of what is right and what is just.

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Cruijff