Young adults packed in wall-to-wall at Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub in Alexandria to hear Father James R. Searby, parochial vicar of the Basilica of St. Mary in Alexandria, talk about the conclave for the monthly Alexandria Theology on Tap May 5.
Father Searby gave a brief history of the conclave and described the artistic importance of the conclave’s setting, the Sistine Chapel, in his talk titled, “Empty Throne and White Smoke: The Passing of a Pope and the Conclave.” He encouraged the young adults to use this time to evangelize.
“This is a brilliant time to talk to people about the nature of the church and the nature of the papacy, because people are curious. They want to know; they hunger for wanting to know what’s going on. All eyes are on the Sistine Chapel,” he said.
At the beginning of the conclave, the cardinals are sequestered in the Sistine Chapel. “Then, each writes the name of the man he believes should be pope on a specifically prepared ballot. And this is something they pray deeply about,” he said. At the end of each voting session, the cardinals place their voting cards on top of a paten, which Father Searby said is “symbolic of sacrifice.” He said that the cardinals are supposed to discern their vote with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and to predict the new pope in advance would be fruitless.
The “white smoke,” which is issued from a special chimney to indicate that a pope has been chosen, is actually colored white with special chemicals, he added, which surprised many of the young adults.
Patrick Shannon, a parishioner of the Basilica of St. Mary, said that learning the process of the conclave was particularly helpful amid a secular media frenzy. “Right now, we’re so inundated with secular news talking about predictions,” he said. “And it’s a historical time for us in the church. This is my first time as an adult with a pope up for election. I want to be as informed as I can.”
“It’s kind of a mystery,” said Emily Bowman, a parishioner of the Basilica of St. Mary. “It’s something that doesn’t happen very frequently, but when it does, it’s very mysterious.”
