"When they elected me the Pope, the first thing I thought was that God is punishing me. I am sure that there were so many others that could do the job. So what did God want from me?" - Pope Stephen X
Cardinal Andrew was very silent when the votes were counted up. When he was asked if he accepted the position as Pope, he was silent. Many cardinals were thinking he would say no. The people that knew Andrew were certain that he was in prayer, asking God what he should do. After some time went, he nodded and said if it was God's will.
Then he was asked what name he would have a Pope. This is when we first heard his name would be Pope Stephen X. It was at this time that the first Irish man became the Bishop of Rome, true Pope, and Head of the College of Bishops, acquiring full and supreme authority over the Universal Church.
Things went quickly for the new Pope. He was led into a small room and helped with the new clothes that a Pope wears. Gone was the red colors of a Cardinal and he now had the white colors of the Pope. They read from the Bible as he was getting changed.
One could only guess what was going through Pope Stephens's mind as he came back to the cardinals, and one by one, they kissed his ring promising obedience and loyalty.
One could also guess what was going through Cardinal Lorenzo's mind. He obviously thought the new Pope would so submissive, that Lorenzo would have the real power. So the question was, what was going through his mind. Was it a lie when he promised obedience and loyalty?
After that, Pope Stephen prayed in silence. While he was praying, Cardinal Lorenzo announced to the whole world who the new pope was.
People waited a long time for the first glimpse of the pope. He was in the chapel praying and most likely asking God why he was chosen? Several times, someone politely interrupted him and said that the people were waiting. The new Pope was deep in prayer and they could simply not get his attention.
Many remember watching TV, as time went on and the Pope did not appear. People were getting impatient and wondering was there a problem. Cardinal Lorenzo ever appeared and told the people there would be a delay as the Pope was praying. He suggested that the people did the same as they waited. This was never seen before,
Pope Stephen finally came out. He was met by his parents. His mom was in tears and telling him how proud they were. The Pope said that he wished his grandmother was alive. Observers say that he looked in his mother's eyes and said, "Today is a day of celebration. The slow martyrdom of me starts tomorrow."
The crowd cheered as the new Pope appeared. He waved to them and blessed them all. He must have known that many people were celebrating, but also wondering what this new Pope would mean for the Church. Everyone was asking who this new pope was.
Pope Stephen lifted his hands and told the people, "Today we celebrate that there is a new Pope. I ask you to pray for me and pray for the Church. It is no secret that our Church is in trouble. Throughout history, we have not done God's will. We have hurt people and taught the wrong things. This must stop now. We need to make the Catholic Church the true family of God.
I will do what I can, but the most important part is what you do at home. The Catholic faith starts at home. The gift you can give your children is the friendship of God. Let us use this opportunity to revive the Catholic Church and the faith that each family has. Let us welcome God back in each of our families. He wishes to be a friend. Now is the time for Revival and a stronger friendship with God. A family that prays together stays together."
Sources say that the next day, the new Pope was disappointed. He was reading the newspapers and nothing was said about his hope that families would learn how to have God as a friend and strengthen their faith. The news was mostly about the fact that he was unknown and from Ireland. The idea that the press did not know the new Pope led them to write long articles on the state of the Church and its need for a strong Pope.
Cardinal Lorenzo was Pope Stephens's advisor and the Vatican secretary of the state. He wasted no time telling the Pope of his new routine. There was something new every hour and it was long working hours. Lorenzo was sure that he could control the new pope, so he must have got a shock when Pope Stephen instructed that 6 hours a day would be taken out of the schedule for his private time.
"As a Pope, it is nearly as if you are no longer a private person. There are so many demands." Cardinal Lorenzo explained.
" I need my private time with God. If a Pope cannot dedicate his time for prayer, who can?"
Lorenzo did not expect this. He explained that he and the staff would do all they could to help the Pope with his work. There were so many decisions and it was impossible that the Pope could deal with them all. The Pope was also warned on reforms, saying that may Popes hoped to reform the Church and misunderstood the Church was timeless. It did not have to be politically correct.
Pope Stephen smiled and said what more does he need, He has cardinals and he has God.
An observer told me that he was going to pray in the chapel when He interrupted the Pope there. The new Pope was praying out loud, He was asking God what was expected of him and would God be at his side. The scene was quite dramatic. It shows the personality of the new Pope. He knew that he had a lot of responsibilities. It was as if he knew that he would be making some unpopular decisions and some may even think that he was a bad Pope. This did not bother the new pope, as long as he had God at his side.
As for Cardinal Lorenzo, he thought things we going well during the first weeks of Pope Stephens's papacy. Pope Stephen agreed with much of what was suggested and did not question anything.
This changed when the Pope had a visit from the Jewish leader. The meeting was private and lasted for 5 hours. There was a concern from the Popes advisors as time went on. This was supposed to be a short meeting where the two leaders could meet and get to know one another.
No one expected that when the two came out, the Jewish leader called it the most constructive and important meeting between the two Churches in a century.
Pope Stephen explained, "During World War II, The Catholic Church turned a blind eye on the Holocaust. Our Church was afraid of what Nazis could do to us, and in a way, the Church supported Nazis, as we feared communism. This led to the Church telling its priests and monasteries not to hide Jews that needed refuge. So many bad things were done during these years that hurt the Jews. This includes the Catholic Church being silent where there was evidence of the Holocaust. This also includes the cover-up since. The Jews deserve an answer and they deserve an apology.
I have apologized to the Jews on behalf of the Catholic Church. We may have acted from fear or even political reasons. Fear is dangerous and the Catholic Church must stand up to any injustice in the world, We must learn from our mistakes in history. I have therefore ordered that all records concerning World War II be made public."
You could not hear a pin drop. Everyone was silent and in shock. Pope John Paul II apologized in March 2000 to the Jews for centuries of Christian anti-Antisemitism. This went one step further!
Cardinal Lorenzo was furious. When the Pope was back in his office, he had to listen to the Cardinal ask if this was wise for the Church and why was he not consulted. The Pope simply smiled and said he wanted the records opened within a week. While the cardinal was raging mad, the Pope also ordered him to announce a state visit to Brazil and Ireland.
Lorenzo had to speak with the other Cardinals. One of the other cardinals told me that this talk was about how they could keep Pope Stephen on a leash.
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