C&SI - From Papal funeral to Conclave - 4 May 2025 (S05E23)

On this weeks podcast John and Shane delve into the world events coming from Rome after the death of Pope Francis. We reflect back on the funeral of Pope Francis and then look forward to the process of the Novemdiales, the General Congregations and then the Conclave itself.

May is the beginning of the Summer in Ireland and May 1st is the historical Celtic festival of Bealtaine. But of course it is also the month dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary so over the month of May our music choices will have a very strong Marian focus :)

We have our regular run through the liturgical odds and ends in part one including the saints of the week coming.

We have our regular weekly reflection on the Sunday gospel which is from gospel of St John (21: 1-19) and reflects on Jesus dialogue with Peter asking him to "Feed my sheep". 

Conclave isn't just something where we are passive bystanders. In an interview with The Pillar  Bishop Varden reflects on praying in a papal interregnum: ‘We’re never passive bystanders’.

In terms of some websites for information which we would recommend as being solid and also covering the nuances of things Catholic:

• Vatican News
• The Pillar (substack) -highly recommended!
  • Before ‘habemus papam’
  • A ‘sede vacante’ lexicon: Know your congregations from your conclaves
• Crux
• EWTN