Blog: The Next Pope’s Agenda, by Vicki Yamasaki

With Pope Francis in critical condition and an extraordinary consistory approaching, the Church faces a decisive moment. We pray for his health and perseverance, yet his waning strength suggests his pontificate may soon end. The consistory could serve as a prelude for a conclave.

Will the next pope hold Pope Francis accountable for his actions of causing harm to the Deposit of the Faith? While we embrace Jesus’ infinite mercy, it is important to recognize that His justice serves as a counterbalance. History recalls this stark precedent when Pope Stephen VI conducted the Cadaver Synod. In 897, Pope Stephen VI had the body of his predecessor, Pope Formosus, exhumed and put on trial. Formosus’ corpse was dressed in papal vestments and propped up on a throne while Stephen VI accused him of perjury and other crimes. The trial ended with Formosus being found guilty, his papacy declared null, and his body thrown into the Tiber River. Such a spectacle won’t likely recur—nor would anyone want it to, but the next Supreme Pontiff must grapple with the past 13 years, and find a way to undo the actions that have damaged the Deposit of the Faith.

The next pope will have his work cut out for him. In large measure he should take a page out of the Trump plan of action and un-do the harm done by the enshrined acts of Pope Francis’ magisterial arm. We pray the cardinals allow the Holy Spirit to enlighten them to select a pope like Cardinal Sarah or Cardinal Mueller and possess the courage and knowledge to correct Pope Francis’s errors and to clarify what has been obscured. …

Below is a prioritized list of that must be taken by a new Holy Father to put the Church back on a solid footing. ….

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