Conclave: Sharing this Moment with Our Non-Catholic Friends

Perhaps because of the fact that I just spent three days at a Congress on Evangelization, I’m looking at our upcoming papal Conclave through the eyes of those for whom this process may be unknown, or even mysterious. I see this as an opportunity for those of us Catholic “geeks” who are watching the process 24/7 to share a bit of the glory of this time with our non-Catholic friends, or our loved ones who have been separated for the Church for any reason.

That being said, I shared the following little note on my Facebook wall yesterday:

For my non-Catholic friends who wonder what the heck all of this pope/conclave talk is about this week, check in periodically on my posts athttp://www.patheos.com/blogs/lisahendey/ – this is absolutely an amazing time for our Church. We ask for your prayers for our Cardinals, that their decisions be led by the Holy Spirit. If you have any questions that are unclear to you about the process, please do not hesitate to ask them here, to email me privately, or to post them on my blog. We are absolutely thrilled to share this moment in history with you and want you to understand how very much it means to us!

For most of us who interact with loved ones, co-workers, and even strangers in venues such as Facebook and Twitter, our communications may be the only contact they have with the Catholic Church. For them, what we say matters — it forms an impression and becomes their frame of reference. That’s why we need to do our homework, to speak carefully and factually, to represent the truth, and to invite them into prayer for our Cardinals and for our Church.

For those looking to share a helpful resource on the actual Conclave process, I recommend this wonderful video by Catholic News Service:

It combines a wealth of information with a faith-filled awe for this extraordinary moment in time. It’s easy to take videos like this one and share them in places like Facebook and Twitter as a way of helping our non-Catholic friends live this moment in time with us. Additionally, if you’ve been “less than informed” about the process, take this week as a time to grow in your own knowledge of Church teachings and to share them with your loved ones.