POPE LEO XIV
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There are several ways a person can pray for the members of the Church, and for the cardinals as they prepare to enter the conclave and elect a new pope. There are 135 cardinal electors, and some are more well known than others.
All of them, however, can use the prayers of the faithful.
At the same time, we can pray for every member of the Church and each of us, that we might grow in closeness to the Holy Spirit in this time, and be a witness of Christ's love for his Church.
One way a website is ensuring that all members of the College of Cardinals receive prayers is by randomly assigning them to users.
A new website, "Adopt a Cardinal," will match users up with a random cardinal elector, and provide guidance on how to pray for "their" cardinal until the end of conclave.
At time of publication, more than 70,000 people have "spiritually adopted" a cardinal ahead of the upcoming conclave, and the number or people joining this prayer initiative is growing quickly.
Adopting a cardinal provides spiritual benefits to both the cardinal and the adopter, said the website.
"The cardinals need our prayers as they discern who will lead the Church. Your prayers provide spiritual support during this important process," said the website. Additionally, "adopting" a cardinal creates a "personal connection to the conclave" and the Church.
The prayers ahead of the conclave are a "beautiful tapestry of faith spanning across continents and cultures," said the site.
A similar website in Spanish, "Tu Fecha, Su Fuego" ("Your date, their fire") assigns a person a cardinal to pray for after entering your date of birth.
Novena
For the technologically averse, or for those who just want to pray for the entire College of Cardinals, there's other options as well.
Conclave officially begins on May 7, after a nine-day mourning period for Pope Francis.
This makes a novena a perfect option for prayer.
The handy website Pray More Novenas has begun a novena for the intention of the conclave. You can sign up to get the prayer delivered each day to your inbox or just find it at the website. Or, if you prefer, print it off and tuck it in your prayer book or tape it on your bathroom mirror.
Heavenly Father, we pray in union with the whole Church for the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Cardinals. May the Princes of the Church listen attentively to Your Spirit during the conclave.
Almighty God, we pray that the conclave brings us a Pope who pleases You by guiding Your Church to grow in faithfulness to You. We pray together with the intercession of our Mother Mary and all the Saints. Please Lord, protect and guide your Church during this time of transition.
Amen.
Additionally, for those looking for guidance on how to pray for and mourn Pope Francis, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops published a "Novena in Memory of Pope Francis."
