Catholic cardinals convening in Rome today have announced that the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis will commence on 7 May, according to a Vatican spokesman.
On 7 May, the cardinals will participate in a mass at St Peter’s Basilica. Following this, those eligible to vote will assemble in the Sistine Chapel for the confidential voting process, as stated by spokesman Matteo Bruni.
Previously, the Vatican closed the Sistine Chapel to initiate preparations. The cardinals convened for the first time this morning after Pope Francis’s funeral on Saturday.
Among the 252 cardinals, only 135 are under 80 years old and, thus, eligible to vote for a new pope.
Voting will occur four times each day—twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon—until a candidate achieves a two-thirds majority.
Less than half of the eligible voters are from Europe.
The last two conclaves, held in 2005 and 2013, concluded in just two days. However, Swedish Cardinal Anders Arborelius indicated this morning that he anticipates this conclave might take longer due to many cardinals appointed by Pope Francis never having met each other before.
Pope Francis aimed to appoint cardinals from regions that had never had them previously, including Myanmar, Haiti, and Rwanda.
Pope Francis passed away at the age of 88 on 21 April.
His funeral and the procession through Rome to his burial site at the Basilica of St Mary Major attracted crowds estimated at over 400,000.
Crowds during the funeral of Pope Francis in St Peter’s Square
German Cardinal Walter Kasper mentioned in an interview with La Repubblica newspaper that the significant turnout for Francis’s funeral indicated that Catholics desire the next pope to continue in his reformative style.
Pope Francis, the first pope from Latin America, endeavored to engage the Church in new discussions.
He facilitated debates on topics like the ordination of women as clergy and outreach to LGBTQ Catholics.
“The People of God voted with their feet,” stated Cardinal Kasper, who is 92 and will not participate in the conclave.
“I am convinced that we must proceed in the footsteps of Francis.”
However, a group of conservative cardinals is likely to counter this and seek a pope who reaffirms traditional values and limits the more inclusive vision proposed by Francis.
“If Francis has been the Pope of surprises, I believe this conclave will be as well, since it is entirely unpredictable,” said Spanish Cardinal Jose Cobo in a recent interview.
In prior conclaves, “you could see where things might lead,” he shared with El Pais newspaper, while this time many cardinals come from outside Europe and haven’t met previously.
With various conflicts and diplomatic crises ongoing worldwide, Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who served as secretary of state under Pope Francis, is viewed by many as the frontrunner to succeed him.
Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin is favored by many to succeed Pope Francis.
British bookmakers William Hill have him slightly ahead of Filipino Luis Antonio Tagle, the Metropolitan Archbishop emeritus of Manila, followed by Ghana’s Cardinal Peter Turkson.
Next in their odds is Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, followed by Guinea’s Cardinal Robert Sarah and Matteo Zuppi, the Archbishop of Bologna.
While Pope Francis’s initiatives to foster a more compassionate Church garnered him widespread admiration and respect, some efforts angered the conservative faction of the Church, especially in the United States and Africa.
Roberto Regoli, a Church history and culture professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, stated that the cardinals would strive to find someone capable of fostering greater unity.
“We are in a period where Catholicism is experiencing various polarizations, so I do not envision a very swift conclave,” he remarked.
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Since Pope Francis’s death, the cardinals have conducted general meetings to discuss decisions regarding the funeral and subsequent actions.
To date, there has been a sense of “great openness,” Italian Cardinal Giuseppe Versaldi mentioned in an interview with La Repubblica newspaper.
“There are varying opinions, but the environment is more spiritual than political or combative,” he stated.
“The future pope must possess a universal heart, loving all continents. We should not focus on color or origin but on merits,” asserted Cardinal Dieudonne Nzapalainga from the Central African Republic in an interview with Il Messaggero, the Italian newspaper.
“We need a courageous leader, a bold one, capable of speaking assertively, steering the Church steadily even through storms… offering stability during times of great uncertainty.”
