Steve Harmon
The papal conclave tasked with selecting a new pope will begin next week, and Good Faith Media (GFM) will be on the ground in the Vatican to provide up-to-date news and analysis. GFM is partnering with Dr. Steve Harmon, professor of historical theology at Gardner-Webb University, who will travel to Rome as a special correspondent.
Harmon is the co-secretary for the Baptist-Catholic International Ecumenical Dialogue Joint Commission and one of the world’s foremost Baptist scholars on the Roman Catholic Church.
When asked what he will be keeping his eye on during the conclave, beyond ideological and geographic characteristics of the next pope, Harmon released the following statement:
“I’ll be keenly interested in how Pope Francis’ encouragement of a synodal path (‘walking on the way together’) toward the future of the church, including listening carefully to the voices of the whole church, may be reflected in the cardinals’ deliberations and ultimate selection of the successor of Francis.
There have already been indications of this as the cardinals have begun arriving in Rome and meeting daily in pre-conclave ‘general congregations,’ in which cardinals have been sharing with one another the current experiences of the life of the church in their geographical contexts.
I will also be alert to signs that the conclave and its outcome may not map neatly onto the polarizations of American Christianity and its social context.”
The conclave begins on May 7, and if the pattern of recent papal selections holds steady, should be completed within a few days. Each of the past two conclaves lasted only two days, and at least one cardinal has suggested this one will be no different.
“Good Faith Media is pleased to have Dr. Harmon as a contributing correspondent during the Conclave as the Church selects its next pope,” Mitch Randall, Good Faith Media’s CEO, said. “Harmon is an outstanding scholar on the Roman Catholic Church and has written extensively about strengthening relationships between Baptists and Catholics.”
Harmon will provide updates online at goodfaithmedia.org as well as video content on GFM’s Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky and TikTok platforms.
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