Episode 3035: The End of a Pontificate - Morning Episode

The End of a Pontificate: A Traditional Catholic Reflection on Pope Francis, the Future, and the Conclave
Host: Walt Co-Hosts: Sharon, Nancy, Gina
Walt:
Praised be Jesus Christ. Welcome to CatholicReboot, where we hold fast to the Sacred Deposit of Faith, the constant teaching of Holy Mother Church, and the light of Catholic tradition during these tumultuous times. We are in pour 4th year of production and seen quite a lot but above all our nightly devotions are so very important and it is my hope that this tradition will be passed down to my Grandchildren and their Children.
Today April 21, 2025 we wake up to the news of the death of Pope Francis a pontificate marked by profound controversy and division, but also a moment that calls us to prayer, reflection, and hope for the future. I told my daughters for years that it will be their generation that will bring the Church back.

Walt:
Let us begin in prayer.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Sharon:
O Eternal Father, You are the Sovereign Lord of Heaven and Earth. In Your Divine Providence, You permitted the pontificate of Pope Francis. Receive his soul with mercy, and weigh his works in Your perfect justice and love.
May Your judgment be tempered with the Precious Blood of Your Son.
Nancy:
We ask You, Most Holy Trinity, in this time of uncertainty and grief, Grant the Church a holy successor. One who will restore the traditions handed down through the centuries, guard the truth without compromise, and shepherd the flock with courage, clarity, and love of souls.
Gina:
Through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
Spouse of the Holy Ghost and Mother of the Church,
Grant that the next Supreme Pontiff be a man after Your own Heart, and that the conclave be guided solely by your divine will.
All:
Amen.
Part 1: Reviewing the Francis Pontificate
Walt:
We begin by acknowledging Pope Francis’ death and praying for the repose of his soul. His pontificate was, for many faithful Catholics, one of confusion and sorrow.
Sharon:
Francis often chose ambiguity over clarity. Amoris Laetitia allowed for the reception of Holy Communion by those in public adultery, contradicting Our Lord’s teaching on the indissolubility of marriage.
Nancy:
He suppressed the Latin Mass, the Mass of the saints and martyrs, through Traditionis Custodes. Many who had found spiritual life through tradition were treated as divisive or disobedient.
Gina:
Then there was the Pachamama scandal idols introduced into sacred Vatican spaces. It left many asking: has the Church forgotten the First Commandment?
Walt:
While we entrust his soul to God's mercy, we must not pretend these were minor missteps. Pope Francis reoriented the Church toward a worldly, human-centered vision. Doctrine became a dialogue. Sin became subject to “pastoral accompaniment.” The cry for clarity was met with silence or punishment.
Part 2: How the conclave works
Sharon:
Now begins the period called sede vacante, when the See of Peter is vacant. Cardinals under the age of 80 will be called to Rome.
Gina:
They’ll first observe nine days of mourning novemdiales (NOV-EM-DIAL-EZ) and offer Masses for the soul of the late pope. Then the conclave begins within the Sistine Chapel.
Nancy:
No phones. No communication with the outside world. Just prayer, discussion, and ballots cast in secrecy. Each round of voting is followed by smoke: black means no pope, white means a pope has been elected.
Walt:
We must not be naïve. Politics and ideologies often play a role. The Holy Spirit offers His guidance, but He does not force it. The men must be docile to Him and that is what we must pray for.
PART 3: Top 5 Expected Candidates
Walt:
Who are the cardinals being spoken of as papabile the men who could become the next pope?
Sharon:
Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Archbishop of Bologna, is seen as a Francis-aligned candidate. He supports open dialogue and inclusivity but lacks doctrinal clarity.
Gina:
Cardinal Péter Erdő, Primate of Hungary, is a canonist with a strong moral foundation. He would bring sobriety and tradition back to the center.
Nancy:
Cardinal Luis Tagle is often called “the Asian Francis.” Charismatic and emotional, but vague in theology and open to progressive interpretations.
Sharon:
Cardinal Raymond Burke, while beloved by tradition-minded Catholics, faces strong opposition from those in power. Still, his courage and clarity make him a beacon of hope. This truly would be the greatest pick of all but highly doubtful with this highly synodal curia in Rome.
Gina:
Cardinal Robert Sarah is a man of prayer, silence, and deep love for the liturgy. A Sarah papacy could lead to genuine restoration.
PART 4: Why St Malachy’s Prophecy is unreliable
Nancy:
What about the so-called “Prophecy of the Popes” attributed to St. Malachy?
Walt:
It’s important to note: the prophecy only surfaced in the 16th century, long after St. Malachy’s death. Scholars doubt its authenticity, especially because the earliest popes are described with accuracy but the latter descriptions are vague and could apply to anyone.

Sharon:
Private revelation especially one so dubious should never replace the sure guidance of the Church’s magisterium and Sacred Scripture.
PART 5: Scripture readings and reflections.
Walt:
Acts 10:37–43 (Douay-Rheims)
“You know the word… how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power… whom they killed, hanging Him upon a tree. Him God raised up the third day…And He commanded us to preach… that it is He who was ordained by God, to be judge of the living and of the dead.”
Sharon:
The authority of the Church rests not in any man but in Christ, crucified and risen. He alone is Judge. The pope is merely His servant. Every shepherd will be judged on how he upheld the Deposit of Faith.
“You know the word… how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power…”
This phrase comes from the mouth of St. Peter, who is speaking to the household of Cornelius, a Roman centurion, as the Gospel begins to break beyond the confines of Israel.
The word “anointed” refers directly to the Messiah, or Christos in Greek both meaning the Anointed One. This is not a poetic anointing but a real and divine anointing at the moment of Christ’s Baptism in the Jordan, when the Holy Ghost descended upon Him in visible form as a dove (cf. Matthew 3:16–17). At that moment, the heavens were opened, and the voice of the Father was heard: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
This verse refutes any idea of Jesus as a mere prophet or social reformer. He is God’s Anointed, the Christ foretold by Isaiah (cf. Isaiah 61:1):
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me: he hath sent me to preach to the meek…”
Nancy:
“…whom they killed, hanging Him upon a tree.”
This refers plainly to the Crucifixion, described here with Old Testament resonance. The phrase “hanging upon a tree” draws from Deuteronomy 21:23:

“He that is hanged is accursed of God…”
St. Peter is deliberately tying the death of Christ to the curse of sin, which Christ bore on our behalf, though He Himself was sinless. St. Paul affirms this in Galatians 3:13:
Walt: “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us…”
Here, we see the infinite paradox: God Himself bore the curse of the Law to free us from it. It was not simply an unjust execution this was the deliberate, redemptive self-offering of the Eternal High Priest.
In the traditional Roman Canon of the Mass, we say: "Who the day before He suffered..."reminding us that His suffering was not accidental, but willed out of love for our salvation.
Sharon: “Him God raised up the third day…”
Here we come to the heart of the apostolic proclamation: the Resurrection.
This is not a metaphor, nor a spiritual awakening in the hearts of the Apostles. It is a bodily resurrection, witnessed by men and women who touched Him, ate with Him, and saw Him ascend into Heaven. The phrase “God raised Him up” confirms that the Resurrection is a divine act: the Father raising the Son in glory, and yet also an act of Christ’s own power, for no one takes His life from Him (cf. John 10:18).
Walt: According to St. Augustine, this moment is the seal of Christ’s divinity:
“The Resurrection of Christ is the divine guarantee that what He said and did was true.”
In the traditional liturgical calendar, Easter Sunday becomes the Feast of Feasts, the triumph over sin, death, and the devil. It is the fulfillment of the promise made in the Garden of Eden that the seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent (Genesis 3:15).
Nancy:
“…And He commanded us to preach…”
Here, the apostolic mission is made explicit. The Resurrection was not the end—it was the beginning of the Church’s commission. Christ commands, and the Church obeys. This echoes Matthew 28:19–20:
“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations…”
The Catholic Church is apostolic, not because it’s old, but because it was built on the foundation of the apostles, with Peter at the head.
St. Peter’s preaching in this moment is not a human invention itis obedience to a command from the risen Lord. This underscores the necessity of preaching the true Gospel, not a watered-down, comfortable version that conforms to the world.
Sharon: “…that it is He who was ordained by God, to be judge of the living and of the dead.”
This is eschatological language—it refers to the Final Judgment at the end of time.
The same Christ who died for mercy’s sake will one day come in justice. As St. Paul says in 2 Timothy 4:1,
“I charge thee, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus, who shall judge the living and the dead…”
No pope, no cardinal, no priest, no politician—none will escape this judgment. And the criteria will not be worldly success or social approval, but fidelity to Christ and His commandments.
According to St. John Chrysostom, this is a warning not only to pagans, but to those within the Church:
“Let none think that they can avoid the judgment. Let none who bear the name Christian presume, for it is the name of the Judge they carry.”
Walt:
In Acts 10:37–43, we have the entire Gospel in miniature:
• Incarnation (God anointed Jesus)
• Public Ministry (with power and the Holy Ghost)
• Crucifixion (hanging upon a tree)
• Resurrection (God raised Him on the third day)
• Mission of the Church (He commanded us to preach)
• Final Judgment (He is the ordained Judge of all)
It is a call to sobriety, to faithfulness, and to hope. No matter how dark the times, the same Jesus who walked in Nazareth, suffered on Calvary, rose from the tomb, and ascended into Heaven will come again.
“And He commanded us to preach… that it is He who was ordained by God, to be judge of the living and of the dead.”
(Acts 10:37–43, Douay-Rheims)
This brief passage, spoken by St. Peter, encapsulates the core of the Deposit of Faith. It is a summary of salvation history and the eternal truths entrusted to the Catholic Church, established by Christ Himself.
Traditional Reflection:
Every heresy begins by denying some part of the Incarnation either Christ’s divinity, His humanity, or His unique role. In our times, we see a modernist tendency to reduce Jesus to a moral teacher. But the Incarnation demands adoration, not admiration.
The Public Ministry
“…with power and the Holy Ghost…”
Our Lord’s public ministry begins with power but not the kind the world expects. His power is healing, teaching, exorcising demons, and calling sinners to repentance. This is the power of truth and sanctity, not violence or political influence.
His teachings were often radical and divisive:
“Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man… you shall not have life in you.” (John 6:54)
“He who hears you, hears Me.” (Luke 10:16)
This power was always accompanied by the Holy Ghost. Everything Christ did was united to the will of the Father and the action of the Spirit. Even His miracles were not for show but to affirm faith and conversion.
Traditional Reflection:
In His public ministry, Christ revealed what it means to be truly human totally oriented toward the Father. In a time when the Church is tempted to become a social institution or political lobby, we are reminded: the Church exists to continue Christ’s saving ministry, not to accommodate modern values.
The Mission of the Church
“He commanded us to preach…”
A Church that ceases to preach the Gospel in its fullness becomes useless. The faithful should pray for boldness in their bishops, clarity in their priests, and fidelity in the future pope. The next pontificate must return to this divine mandate to preach Christ crucified.
The Final Judgment – “…He is ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead.”
Christ will come again not in humility, but in glory, to judge all souls. This is a dogma of the faith. Every soul will stand before Him, and nothing will be hidden.

Sharon:
We walk the road to Emmaus today confused, perhaps sorrowful. But Christ is near. And in the breaking of the bread in the Holy Mass. He is truly present.
Nancy:
The Church must rediscover this encounter. We do not need new doctrines or synodal innovations. We need our hearts to burn again with the fire of truth and reverence.
Conclusionary Prayer
Nancy:
Let us now end in prayer.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
O Lord Jesus Christ,
You are the Good Shepherd, the Eternal High Priest, and the King of Kings.
We entrust to You the soul of Pope Francis judge him with justice and mercy.
Cleanse Your Church. Heal Her wounds.
Gina
Send forth Thy Holy Ghost upon the College of Cardinals.
Cast away all worldly ambition. Raise up a pope who will glorify Thee. One who will restore tradition, defend truth, and lead Thy flock with holiness.
Sharon:
Through the Immaculate Heart of Mary and under the protection of St. Peter, Let us see a new springtime—a return to reverence, obedience, and fidelity.
Walt:
Strengthen the faithful. Purify the priesthood. Sanctify the hierarchy. Let Thy light shine again from Rome, and from there to the ends of the earth.
All:
Amen.
Walt:
Thank you for joining us this morning of the death of our Pointiff.
Pray your Rosary. Stay in the state of grace. Keep your eyes on Christ, not personalities.
He is still in the boat and the gates of hell shall not prevail.
Until next time, may God bless you, and Our Lady keep you.