What do I hope for in the next pope? My response is informed by the fact that I write as a millennial, mother, and a former spokeswoman for the local, instititutional Church in the Diocese of Arlington, Va. and for The Catholic University of America. 

First, the pope should be a man who prays and is intimately acquainted with the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Whenever he speaks, writes, announces a motu proprio or an apostolic visit, we should know that he has prayed beforehand. A continual, intimate dialogue with Jesus should inform where he takes the Church and how he serves the world. 

Believers and nonbelievers alike should look at the pope and think of the line from St. Josemaría Escrivá:

“How I wish your bearing and conversation were such that, on seeing or hearing you, people would say: This man reads the life of Jesus Christ.”

Peter spent a great deal of time at Our Lord’s side, more than others. I pray our next pope does, too. 

In terms of topics or issues I hope he tackles, my thoughts are threefold: humanity, eternity, integrity. 

“What is man that you are mindful of him?” the Psalmist asks (8:3-4). This is one of our most pressing questions. We (especially in the West, but also elsewhere in the globe) are experiencing a crisis of what it means to be a human being. We live more of our lives online than in person. We don’t know how to date and are opting not to marry or bear children. If we do, we’re often doing it in isolation. Our elderly have become “bare branches” with no one to care for them. We are decadent but despairing, wealthy but worried. 

The next pope should continue Francis’ emphasis on the people at the peripheries, not only to draw attention to their plights, but also because they have much to teach us about the human experience. Why is the Church growing in certain parts of the world, like sub-Saharan Africa and Asia? 

If grace builds on nature, it’s because they are living in accord with how they were made — unattached to material wealth, cherishing the family, recognizing the distinctiveness of men and women, treasuring their elders — and living locally. 

The next pope should help us learn how to be human again. On a basic level, this means helping us to relate to God, from Whom we come and to Whom we’re returning, to our fellow human beings, and to the rest of creation. Defining what is distinct about human nature will be essential in the age of artificial intelligence, when we are going to need to recognize that we are more than self-consciousness. The Church has been the school of humanity since the Incarnation. Every generation needs to learn these lessons  anew. 

Second, I hope the pope turns our attention to eternal things. Maybe every age has felt apocalyptic, but this period certainly does: global pandemics, the threat of nuclear war, the changing climate, mass migration and displacement — it’s overwhelming. I think the signs of the times call for a spiritual leader who can testify to the fact that this is not all there is. I do not mean to suggest that the next pope eschews his responsibility of loving and feeding the flock or abandons his work in the field hospital that is the Church. But we need to hear more about what’s lasting and what we are made for when everything feels like it could vanish in an instant. The Church should instruct us in how to work for fraternity in this life but always against the backdrop of “the life of the world to come.”  

Lastly, I hope this next pope brings integrity to the inner workings of the Church. It’s said that the Church moves in centuries, but it’s high time that it consistently deals with sexual abuse and cover-up and that it cleans up its finances. Vos estis still contains potential loopholes with the “metropolitan model,” and there are still remaining questions about Father Marko Rupnik and Bishop Gustavo Zanchetta, among others. The resolution of the Vatican’s London property investment case is also need. These are real impediments to our credible witness and sources of scandal. 

Regardless of who the next pope turns out to be, I hope his first step onto the loggia is one that radiates the love Christ has for his people.