The Pope I Pray For, by Charles Coulombe

By Charles A. Coulombe, Crisis Magazine, Feb. 27, 2025

Charles A. Coulombe is a contributing editor at Crisis and the magazine’s European correspondent. He previously served as a columnist for the Catholic Herald of London and a film critic for the National Catholic Register. A celebrated historian, his books include Puritan’s Empire and Star-Spangled Crown. He resides in Vienna, Austria and Los Angeles, California.

I must admit to having—as every Catholic must—an idea of what I would wish for from and in a pope.

Full in the panting heart of Rome, Beneath th’apostle’s crowning dome, From pilgrims’ lips that kiss the ground, Breathes in all tongues only one sound: ‘God bless our Pope, God bless our Pope, God bless our Pope, the great, the good.’ —Cardinal Nicholas Wiseman

When you read these words, the Holy Father may have recovered from his illness, or not. Whichever may be the case, His Holiness is not immortal, and a new pontificate is likelier to come sooner than later. When that day arrives, we all doubtless have our own hopes as to who might emerge from the conclave as Vicar of Jesus Christ and visible head of the Church on earth. Whomever that may be, he shall not be perfect, shall bring his own set of strengths and weaknesses to the Chair of St. Peter, and will have to contend with the jungle of problems that beset Church and State in every nation on the planet. More importantly, he shall take upon himself responsibility to some degree for every soul in those nations. It is an awesome responsibility—precisely in the sense of “being filled with awe.”

That being said, I must admit to having—as every Catholic must—an idea of what I would wish for from and in a pope. Said wishes are based upon six decades of observing the Church and the world—but unlike the office about which they are being made are not infallible. You may agree with me or not, and certainly none of our opinions will matter or even likely be reflected in the actual person who next assumes the Pontifical Throne. But reflecting on it will tell us something about ourselves and the Church we inhabit. …

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