CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A North Carolina professor is prepping for a historical assignment in Rome.
Steve Harmon, a professor of historical theology at Gardner-Webb University, was chosen by Good Faith Media, to be a special correspondent as the next pope is selected.
“Harmon is an outstanding scholar on the Roman Catholic Church and has written extensively about strengthening relationships between Baptists and Catholics,” said Good Faith Media’s CEO Mitch Randall in a statement.
Harmon, described by Good Faith Media as "one of the world’s foremost Baptist scholars on the Roman Catholic Church," is preparing for the historic events
“I’ll be keenly interested in how Pope Francis’ encouragement of a synodal path 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,” said Harmon in a Good Faith Media publication.
“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,” Harmon said.
Francis died Easter Monday.
The papal conclave, consisting of the cardinals selecting the next pope, will convene May 7.
Harmon previously talked with Spectrum News after the pope’s death.
The professor shared then how he crossed paths with Pope Francis through the Baptist World Alliance.
“Pope Francis was keenly interested in fostering dialog between different groups but especially between Christians who are divided from each other in various ways,” Harmon said. “I was grateful to have been one of the beneficiaries of his interest in Catholics finding ways to live into unity as the one body of Christ with their Baptist brothers and sisters.”
Harmon will provide up-to-date information about the conclave on Good Faith Media's social media platforms and website.
