It did come as quite a shock. Can you imagine how the cardinals at the consistory this morning reacted?! GMA invited Cardinal Dolan to come on this morning. He had only just heard the news and had that "deer in the headlights" look, which spoke volumes. When Matt Lauer asked Dolan how the process would work, Dolan, in his typical Irish style, responded: "I'm still unpacking the red socks from last year's consistory, Matt. I have no idea but I expect we will be given guidance before convening in Rome. He made some interesting observations based on his perception of contemporary pope. He said "look at Pope Benedict" someone who is savvy about the world, a theologian, personal piety & Holiness, someone with linguistic abilities, and knowledge of the church universal.
Like you, I was quite saddened at the news, followed by concern over the selection. Then I reflected on the timing of the announcement - the beginning of Lent (it began for those of us in the Eastern Catholic Churches today), a time of prayer and drawing closer to our Lord. That is bound to have a strong impact on the cardinals as they assemble in conclave. Ultimately, as catholics, we have faith that the process is guided by the Holy Spirit. At this evening's mass with distribution of ashes, our pastor asked us as a community to commit our lenten prayers to the Holy Father and the cardinals. Instead of a homily, he told us to spend that time in silent prayer for the pope and ask for the Holy Spirit's guidance for the cardinals.
Pray and thank God for the gift of our Holy Father.
As they say, “I love my German Shepherd” and I’ll miss him being Pope.