Dear Friends,

At their recent general assembly in the Vatican, the Cardinals decided on the date for the beginning of the Conclave. It will be Wednesday, May 7. Currently, 135 Cardinals are eligible to vote for the next Pope. Never have the votes in the Conclave been so globally distributed. The Cardinals come from 60 countries, with Europe representing the largest bloc with 53 eligible voters, followed by Asia with 23 and Africa with 18. But when it comes down to the individual countries, there is a huge difference. Italy, however, has the most Cardinals with 17 eligible to vote and to be elected, followed by the USA with 10 and Brazil with 7. In comparison, Oceania has only four voting Cardinals. Australia is represented by Cardinal Mykola Bychok, who is also Bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Church. So, it is unlikely that the next Pope will be an Australian, although everything is possible with the Holy Spirit.

The shortest papal election in history was the election of Julius II in 1503, which lasted only a few hours. Pope Francis was elected Peter’s successor after just two days in 2013. But I believe it will take longer this time; there is no clear favourite for the papacy, although the betting offices would pay out a lot of money for the election of the Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin (current Secretary of State at the Vatican). Fortunately, it’s not the bookmakers who decide, but the Holy Spirit.

Voices are being raised from various camps advocating for a candidate as Pope who would support their church-political ideas and views, as if the Conclave were a parliamentary campaign for an office. The truth is, however, that the Holy Spirit never responds to political ideas. For the ways of men are not the ways of God, even though there have always been human attempts to circumvent the Holy Spirit.

May the Cardinals truly listen the Holy Spirit and not ignore him: Come, Holy Spirit, make them docile instruments of your will and your work. May each elector form his own opinion of God’s will and not give in to opinions. Come, Holy Spirit.

But we, the flock, want to exercise patience.

Now for the news in our parish: The two church roofs of St. Michael’s and Our Lady of Lourdes have been repaired. The cost of 42k will be paid in instalments to ensure liquidity of the Parish finance. We’ve received two carpet estimates for St. Michael’s. I hope to replace the outdated carpet soon, definitive in this calendar year. We also need to choose a fitting colour reflecting the uniqueness of St Michael’s church. Consultations on the renovation of the old church are progressing at full speed. A major focus is the repair of the roof. Without a watertight roof, we cannot use the church. We’ve already received a cost estimate for the roof renovation. However, I think the $250,000 figure is quite high, even though it’s for a slate roof. I will try to contact other builders and look for cheaper solutions. There are two affordable options: colorbond or flat tile roof. Whether one or the other is possible depends, of course, on the regulations that apply to heritage-listed buildings.

There’s another piece of good news I’d like to share. Anne Mendes, a parishioner, has just published a book titled “The Cast of Extremes: Jesus and the Devil” (Xlibris, 2025). Her book is interdisciplinary, combining psychology and theology to explore human potentials and Christian living. We are planning a book launch, and the sale of your book will go to the Parish. If you would like to purchase a copy, please contact the Parish office.

Congratulations to you Anne. We are proud of you and are blessed to have you and your family as our parishioners.

Have a good weekend.

Fr Joe