Habeamus Papam

On  the second day of the conclave the global Roman Catholicism shouted the ancient joy “Habeamus Papam” [We have a Pope]. He is an Amer­ican, first time. I shall give my thoughts interpretively inter alia. It was on May 8, 2025 to succeed “Bono Papa’’ [The Good Pope] Francis I’s. His name is Leo XIV. It took less nail-biter days for him to become declared. Sorting out the puzzle of conclave belongs to him to the Church to convince the world that no conclave is a lottery. There could have been including very high prelates who came along to join the unholy speculation and expressed variety of views in global publicity. These contents during the pre-immediate expec­tations for a new Pope, dismiss to make crystal clear also for convincing the spirituality of the process.

Then having settling in, at mun­dane and ad hockeries, should give guess-mates of which direction Leo XIV would lead the World’s largest congregation. He imme­diately confronts a conglomerate caught in a world of turbulence—wars, Ponzi schemes, youthful disrespect, inexorable enlarging broken homes, LBGTQs. (Pope Francis I, had up to mid-2018 in the midst of Irish same sex mar­riage crisis pleaded for forgiveness and prayers for offender-priestly sexual-misbehaved. Then, the big­gest of all the agonies is belief in and who to trust, especially even from among the Creator’s marked-out workforce.

Let’s shelve or indeed put to bed altogether in the origins of that unholy speculation which fed lotto-mentality and ethnicity even among high prelates. The lead appeared to have created a conspiracy theory. Recall that suddenly a couple or three knew to be over-aged Cardinals were issued with laissez-passer, except a said ‘disgraced cardinal’ who had either barred himself or shut out officially. The ages of the three were reportedly re-calculus to let them in. The smell was interpret­ed as a ploy to dilute the Afri­can and Diaspora group which arrived in the Pundits’ probable ratings. That could have induced to include extra gullible audience– some prelates and other faithful African Laity Roman Catholics to join the raffle leading to the starter pre-conclave outraged commen­taries—pro-compatriot. The end impact or prize for the country of origin of the yet to emerge Pope.

Among the commentaries was one which straddled to peak to futile pro-patria. It was propelled by the word “HONOUR” which drove to peak-pitch of the feeling, downed to sad disappointment at the close. My dispute is with the fervent from honour. The case against is that everyone in the col­lege of Cardinals is an honour to their country—the presence alone, without the “IFY”, it seemed to conjure and lessens its spiritual­ly, the chosen. In any case that lingering prognostication soared in flight above to beyond. And behind that prompted a question­ing thought which could prompt a disguised conclusion—might there be a quid pro quo like in politics where people overly-dis­play commitment. A mitigating defense sees nothing wrong like in football the fans cheer a dismal performance of their team. On the contrary, the other opinion rejects the pro patria because the gravamen in the crux of the idea knows the syllogism can’t be con­gruent—illogical.

I can trust to state that any at home was a rooter for our Peter Cardinal Appiah-Turkson. He hasn’t shown up, the third straight time. It is veritably disheartening humanly. But the man con­tinues to distinguishes himself world-wide from the Vatican; and at back home as chair of the National Peace Council. [He made it ornately powerful. Peace brokering seems to lack the aura and hefty influence of the Council today when the country desper­ately needs the weight of it on the side of the Asantehene in our embattled North, Bawku precisely. A new Chair Most Rev. Fianu was recently taking up the reins]. Peter Cardinal had also had a trauma by a negative (I am neither forgetting the hostile interviewee from an international broadcasting institu­tion meant to dislodge him from the “FRONTIERS’’ a post-John Paul II conclave. It seemed clear to me that the same tactic was employed when Benedict XVI fi­nally succeeded John Paul II from the contest [for want of better word]. His star had risen to dizzy heights then—first Black Pope? “Ei, (SANE EBA– asem aba. I am not a racist but that was clearly the intent. These are irksome to point out. Off his own bat, Peter Cardinal appeared to have slightly lowered his international popularity stock in his attempt to expatiate Pope Francis’ remarks about where the Church stands on homo sexuality and concomitants, absolutely not bargainable—NO GO. Peter Cardinal’ s interven­tion and a further aggravation supposedly to clarify from couple of remarks, labelled or said to represent the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference.

I believe I can infect you with encouragement from the closing dialogue with our Peter Cardinal shortly after his triumphal return home after the Consistory by John Paul II. It was two-hour interview at TV Africa in Accra:

nana: Paa Kodwo Bedu (his name).

Cardinal: Yes Nana.

nana: you have been a bachelor Rev Fr, then bachelor su­preme Archbishop and now a Cardi­nal. What’s next…. Pope?

Cardinal: It’s up to God—in his hands to decide.

Nana: I could feel the studio was as silent as light. What a humility!!! As a new cool breeze enveloped the studio. I had to wrap up and closed with the elated courtesies.

I should add a nota bene that had coincided with the country been seized with issue in fiery debate to pass a law to outlaw LGBTQ. Parliament unanimously passed the Bill, denied Presidential assent and left it in limbo. (There is neither definitive nor authentic information about its fate). That hiccup aside and similarly, in the situate of the world today no lat­ter-day Pope after Pius XII (1958) with the huu-haa about Nazi Ger­many, or, after the Martin Luther breakaway (1624) or Henry VIII’s reign’s upheaval (1509-1547)- culminating taking the English out of the Vatican and founding the Anglican (English Mission) Church close to a century earlier before Luther’s schism 1642. The troubles of Pope Benedict XVI’s quotation of 14th century Byz­antine Emperor’s remarks against Islam on top of the Moslems protesting what was deemed as insult in a Nordic country viral across Europe and John Paul II’s escape from Polish politics, were of different circumstances, pots of politically troublesome. The events leading to Rome’s being central eloquently testify the compulsory roles, ecclesiastic and political, that is thrust on a sitting Pontiff.

The most relieving aspect pursuant, is he is listened to by the most unbeliever world leaders involved in conflicts because the Vatican’s most discreet diplomacy is impeccable. It does get into complications, denounced. But it is a necessarily kept knowledge that the walk-away parties run secretly back. On the whole, the Vatican does far better locking-out leaks. It is improper for me to list the historical queue. The thing to state that Leo XIV has to clear up the bills Pope Francis left for cleaning up accounts incurred. I believe the backlog of Banco d’Abrosio—Archbishop Macincus and the alleged Australian Arch­bishop’s scam et al.

There is though, a residual and uncertain reticence. We may put it on a traditional Vatican penchant for hushing. These are existing to give glimpses to how the Pontiff is entwined with politics of and between countries. Of present intrigues are Ukraine and the un­predictable rhetorics and unilateral hawkish activations which upset all and every nation except him, the US President Donald Trump again than the last before he lost the next ballot until last Novem­ber.

I hope the rest of the West­ern leaders would not have to repeat-confront him like the last world’ leading economic pow­ers’ summit. But specifically, Trump’s relationship with the Vatican may hit a grueling snag shortly. Trump is unhappy with his Republican Party, mid-term elections being imminent and the Ukraine albatross. Altogether and short of committing sacrilege, I am inclined to state, translating our Elders’ saying “God knows why he has given the world an American Pope—‘Nyame nnye n’adze kwa”.

© Prof nana essilfie-condu­ah.