One month after the conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV, a cardinal-elector from Singapore said that the entire experience had “an atmosphere of intense prayer, discernment, and faith.”
In a Facebook post, Singapore Archbishop William Cardinal Goh described the conclave as a moment between him and God. “Faith was the most critical element in the entire process… Each time we voted, we individually took a solemn oath before God, swearing that the person we were choosing was, in our conscience, the one best suited to be the successor of Saint Peter,” he wrote.
Goh also said that he found the period of preparation for the conclave enriching, where the cardinals gathered together for general congregations. “Cardinals from every part of the world shared the challenges facing the Church in their regions and what they believed the Church needs today to remain faithful and relevant in a rapidly changing world,” he said.
He also wrote about how the informal conversations during meals and break time gave the cardinals many opportunities to listen to one another. “I truly benefited from these shares,” he said. “Many of the cardinals I met during that time were people I had not known previously, and I appreciated their wisdom, their courage, and their fraternity.”
Goh remembered how the crowd erupted when US-born Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost appeared for the first time as pontiff from the balcony of Saint Peter’s Basilica.
The cardinal expressed gratitude to the Holy Spirit for guiding the cardinal-electors through the entire conclave. “It was truly beautiful to witness the spirit of prayer, dialogue, and fraternity among us, as we came together in solidarity for the good of the Church and the world,” he said.
Furthermore, Goh reminded the faithful to continue praying for Pope Leo XIV to become “a source of hope, peace, and unity” for all people across nations and cultures. “May he inspire us to seek the truth about life and, ultimately, the Truth. For in discovering Truth—who is God—we discover the meaning of our lives,” he wrote.
Among the 133 cardinal-electors during the last conclave, 23 came from Asia. Goh was the sole elector from Singapore.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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