The first reading today, the story of Joseph and how his brothers out of envy potted against him, reminds us that jealousy, ambition, and intrigue are not modern phenomena. They go back to the earliest days of humanity. By definition, where you have 2 or more people, you have politics.
In these days before the conclave begins will there be politics among the Cardinals? Of course there will. And there should be. There needs to be discussion of the needs of the Church and who is best suited. It would be nonsensical for the to sit in silence. We are not quietists. Our is a communal faith. The parts of the body need to communicate no only with the head but with one another.
The story of Joseph is also instructive for us, however, on another level. Even though his brothers did not have good intentions, even though they had all the wrong motivations, God used their actions to carry out his plan.
In that same way, I have no doubt that even as the media attempts to look for the dark and sensational, the Holy Spirit will be at work in the "politics of the Vatican" and will once more select for us the shepherd we need at this moment in our history. Will he be perfect? No. Will he make all 1.2 billion Catholics happy all the time? No. But in the long view that only God has will he be the right choice? Yes.
