Veni, Creator Spiritus

The Cardinals have entered the Conclave, and it's conceivable (though not likely) that we could have a new pope by this evening, Rome-time. I am now quite resolved to strenuously avoid all papabile speculation, since: a) I don't want to create a market for violating the secrecy of the Conclave, and b) following such speculation is bad for my mental health. I tend to take to this kind of stuff far too seriously, getting unduly attached to media-driven favorites (like Cardinals Arinze and Ratzinger) and becoming unduly fearful at the "moderate" candidates being pulled for by the media. It's not the liberals who are scaring me (though I'll admit that I almost had a heart attack when I read in one source that the ur-liberal Cardinal Martini had almost 50 votes lined up behind him) but those, like Tettamanzi or Hummes, put forth in the press as "compromise", anti-Ratzinger candidates. I've a certain instinctual distrust for anyone the New York Times and its ilk would support.

And yet: I'm sure that Cardinals Hummes and Tettamanzi are men of great holiness and wisdom, who could ably lead the Church. And the worst thing would be for me to develop a negative attitude towards whoever winds up pope, so that when he's announced I can do no more than roll my shoulders and say, eh, him? Okay... I don't want to get off on the wrong foot with the next pope, so I'm saying goodbye to all this idle speculation.

Wake me when the smoke goes white.