Cardinal Dew: The one word that changed a life

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One word. One word, which changed the life of one cardinal.

I knew I was going to hear a word � one word only � but I still waited with bated breath to hear it.

There had already been immediate applause as we cardinals counted the votes in the ballot on the afternoon of May 8. The counting had not been completed, but as it became clear that Cardinal Robert Prevost had enough votes to become the new Bishop of Rome, the applause that filled the Sistine Chapel was as deafening as it was enthusiastic.

We all knew that we had a new Pope, but protocol called for the voting process had to be completed.

Cardinal Prevost was then formally told that he had been elected and asked if he accepted the will of the gathered Cardinals.

Then came the one word: �Accepto.�

I found it a very powerful moment. This man was one of us; yet, to me, it was very clear that this was the work of the Holy Spirit. With that one word, he was prepared for his life to be dramatically changed. He knew that this was to be his way from then on � to give his life in love and in service, both to the Church and the wider world.

With humility and gratitude, he accepted a calling which meant that his whole life would be public and would never be the same again.

Pope Leo�s �accepto� calls us to pray for him and support him daily with our prayers. He is a man of deep holiness. Indeed, his knowledge of who he is in God�s eyes enabled him to make his acceptance response.

This was now a renewed response to the original invitation he heard from Jesus many years ago when he heard the call of Jesus: �Follow me.�

We will pray for him in every Mass that is celebrated, but please look for other ways to support him with your prayer as he faces what will be challenging decisions, but ones that he knows will be guided and driven by the Holy Spirit.

Only about 45 minutes after he had spoken his �accepto� and told us that he would be known as Pope Leo XIV, we each had the opportunity to greet him. I told him that I would pray for him in a special way every day. Please join me in that prayer of support for him.

Spirit-filled moments in Rome

I will never forget hearing that one word � �accepto�� but there were several other moments of those days which were also powerful and Spirit-filled. The day of the funeral of Pope Francis, the days of prayerful mourning for him, the fact that 70,000 people visited his tomb the day after his burial; all of these spoke deeply of how much he was loved and respected.

Then there were the days leading up to and including the actual conclave. One of the most memorable moments for me was the procession from the Pauline Chapel into the Sistine Chapel for the beginning of the conclave. As we began to move, we also began to join in the singing of the Litany of the Saints. It was a prayerful and a powerful time.

As I heard the Litany, I realised that it had been extended and now included by name all the Popes who have been formally canonised. To hear their names and to know that the cardinals of today were doing what had started in the Sistine Chapel with the first conclave to take place there in 1492 was mind boggling. 

The Litany concluded and was then followed with the singing of Veni Creator Spiritus, pleading for the presence and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. I was very conscious of the fact that this was not just a matter of writing down a name; we made a solemn oath that we would be voting for the one we truly believed was the man chosen by God. We renewed that oath each time we put our ballot paper into the container, all unfolding in front of Michelangelo�s famous painting of the Last Judgement. This could not be done any way other than prayerfully.

Accompanied in prayer

While we were singing the Litany of the Saints, I was very aware that we were being accompanied in prayer by many people in New Zealand whom I had invited to pray the Litany of the Saints as we prepared to elect a new Bishop of Rome. I was overwhelmed by the generosity of people who responded to that invitation to pray to all the Saints, imploring their prayerful intercession. I knew that there were individuals, families, diocesan staffs, parish groups and many people who accompanied us with that powerful prayer. I take this opportunity to say, �Thank You�.

As 133 of us processed into the Sistine Chapel, accompanied at that stage by the Sistine Chapel Choir, I was filled with gratitude and with the awareness that we were not on our own. The Spirit of God was guiding us, and many millions of people around the world were supporting us.

The Good Shepherd

When I was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Wellington, Cardinal Tom Williams asked me if I had a bishop�s ring. I didn�t, of course.

He showed me some rings that had belonged to previous bishops, including one with the Good Shepherd on it which had belonged to Cardinal Delargey. Cardinal Delargey had ordained me on Good Shepherd Sunday in 1976, so I said I thought that would be an appropriate ring to wear.

I wore it for about five years until one day a priest commented and told me he thought I had a real cheek wearing a cardinal�s ring. I had no idea at all that cardinals were given special rings. I stopped wearing it at once � until I was entitled to wear it when I became a cardinal in 2015.

My own ring, the one presented to all cardinals appointed by Pope Francis, has an image of Sts Peter and Paul. However, as I was hurriedly preparing to leave for Rome, I decided to take the Good Shepherd ring with me. I did not wear it, but every day during the meetings, and during the conclave itself, it was safely in my pocket.

I touched that ring often, reminding myself that we were looking to elect someone as the Bishop of Rome, as the successor of Peter and someone we would all be hoping and praying whose life would be modelled on the Good Shepherd.

That ring was a powerful reminder to me of what we were about. I believe that, with the help of your prayers, we have elected a man whose life has been shaped and formed completely by Jesus, that Good Shepherd.