As members of the Church seek to make intelligible to the world our tradition of the papacy, I am reminded of my experience last summer as a “Perpetual Pilgrim” on the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage. Journeying from New Haven, Connecticut, to Indianapolis, on a leg of the longest Eucharistic procession in history, I found myself constantly attempting to communicate to people of all backgrounds the profound mystery of the Holy Eucharist.

In cities and rural towns, in solemn basilicas and chaotic neighborhoods, I witnessed the transformative power of Christ in the Eucharist. I saw priests carry Our Lord through America’s largest metropolitan areas and through desolate stretches like the main drag of Kensington, Pennsylvania — places marked by suffering and addiction, yet touched by hope when the Eucharistic Lord passed by. I watched hectic Bronx streets turn joyful with the singing of schoolchildren and laypeople proclaiming Jesus' presence. And I saw just as clearly how he worked in silence, in quiet fields and quaint neighborhoods, gracing hearts through imperceptible means.

When Jesus is brought to a place, it is not left the same. People transform. Peace emerges. Unity deepens. The Eucharist draws together Catholics of every kind, every language, and every place into one body. This unity across division, this harmony amidst diversity, filled me with hope, particularly as the summer of 2024 was a time otherwise marked by polarity.

These experiences gave me a deeper lens through which to view the papal conclave and the meaning of the papacy itself. Just as the Eucharist is a mystery that transcends simple explanation, so too is the process by which the Church elects a new pope: a sacred act grounded in human freedom and divine Providence.

In Catholic theology, a mystery is not uncertainty; it is a truth so profound and glorious that it surpasses the capacity of our minds. The Church is full of such mysteries. The Eucharist. The Incarnation. The Trinity. The papacy also has a divine foundation and so transcends earthly categories.

The conclave is not merely a decision-making process; it is a sacred moment. Catholic teaching holds that the Holy Spirit inspires and assists the cardinal-electors. Yet the Spirit does not override their freedom; rather, divine guidance works through human action, and that cooperation between grace and freedom is itself a mystery. Through this time, the faithful trust in Christ’s promise to remain with his Church and to send the Spirit of truth (John 16:13).

Too often, the sacred is explained away. The conclave is reduced to politics, the papacy to power. But the Church offers something far beyond the frameworks of our world, something transcendent. As a Eucharistic missionary, I’ve seen firsthand how the mysterious truths the Church offers can transform. There is power in witnessing to mystery. This transcendence is not a weakness, but a strength. 

Just as the Holy Spirit moved on the streets of America during our pilgrimage, so too do we pray he will move within the Sistine Chapel.

In light of these impactful pilgrimage experiences, I offer my prayerful hopes for the next pope, the providentially chosen successor to St. Peter:

We need a Holy Father attuned to his need for profound communion with God and who humbly turns to prayer to seek the will of our Heavenly Father.

I pray for a Pope with a yearning for a fully united Catholic Church, and for unity among all Christians, and that the Holy Spirit grants wisdom to stitch what has been torn to bring deeply needed reconciliation.

I hope the next Holy Father desires to be a faithful steward of the heritage and rich traditions of the Church. People crave the transcendent; the truth and beauty safeguarded by the Church are deep spiritual nourishment. People like me who didn’t grow up in the Catholic Church are hungry for the sacred and for true spirituality.

To me, a great Holy Father for this age would see consistency and stability as strengths of the Church, and he would hold matters of truth with seriousness and the rest with good humor.

As a convert of the Eucharistic Revival, I pray that the next Pope chooses to lead with the message of the greatest treasure of the Church, Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, who alone can bring the deepest kind of healing to the Church and the whole world.

The Church needs a vision of leadership that transcends the lures of political ideology. I hope God grants the next Holy Father nimbleness to navigate how his words will echo through the world’s media coverage. I also hope he has a graceful disposition to peacefully confront a world that can view Christian charity as antagonistic.

I pray the next Holy Father has the simplicity and wisdom of a shepherd.

This unique convergence of events, the National Eucharistic Revival and the papal conclave, is an invitation to rediscover the sacred. The Church is not simply an institution; it is a mystery. It is the Body of Christ, born of the Eucharist and sustained by his abiding presence. In this moment, we are called to renewed faith, deeper reverence, and greater trust in Jesus, who remains with his Church in every age.

As the Lord moved quietly through neighborhoods on our pilgrimage, working grace in unseen ways, so too will he guide the Church through this next chapter. The faithful are called not only to accept these mysteries but to live in light of them, to bear witness to them, and to proclaim to the world: God is at work in his Church.

May the Holy Spirit, who alone can bring the Church to perfection, enlighten the cardinals with measures of his infinite wisdom during the conclave, so that the next pope may lead us ever closer to Christ, truly present in the Most Holy Eucharist.