An extraordinary conclave to elect the successor to Pope Francis

It is a historical day for the Catholic Church. After a mass in the morning and a solemn procession to the Sistine Chapel, gathered under the famous ceiling of the Last Judgment of Michelangelo, the Cardinals will be cut off from the world until they choose a new pope.

The conclave, which is governed by the apostolic constitution, is based on essential principles: only cardinals aged under the age of 80 have the right to vote, the elected pope must obtain at least two thirds of the votes and the votes must be done behind closed doors without any communication with the outside.

Although the election of a Pope is extremely codified, it is different from the previous ones, in many ways. It is a singular conclave which brings together a record number of cardinals – 133 – for the election of a pope, underlines the general manager of the television channel KTO, Philippine de Saint Pierre.

This is the first time that there have been cardinals of so many nationalities in a conclave. They come from 70 different countries, it is absolutely considerableadds the deputy chief director of the newspaper The crossLoup Besmond de Senneville.

For the first time, under the sublime ceilings of the Sistine Chapel will resonate concerns around the world, both from Mongolia, Canada, Latin America, of the five continents, this is one of the specifics of this conclave.

On the other hand, the Vaticanists point out that most of these cardinals, from cultures and very different countries, know each other little or not at all, since most of them have been appointed in recent years by Pope Francis.

Therefore, bring this consensus together, this common vision [pour l’élection du pape]will undoubtedly be a more complex exercise than before.

According to several Vatican observers, we can expect a conclave very open Due to the record number of cardinals and their geographic origins.

Pope Francis has decided to shoot this Cardinalice college to the Global South, with many more cardinals from Africa, Asia and the outskirtsrecalls the correspondent of theAFP At the Vatican, Clément Melki. For him, these different perspectives on the Church and the world could be decisive in the election of the next Pope.

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The desired profile

In the current configuration, the profile that could emerge may be more a mediator profilethinks Mr. Melki for whom a form of stability could succeed a pontificate marked by substantive reforms.

Same sound of bell for Jean Louis de la Vaissière, former corresponding to the Vatican and author of several works on the Argentinian Pope. The church needs a certain appeasement, because the 12 years of Pontificate of François aroused quite hard divisions and controversies, in the high clergy in particular.

It was a pontificate full of initiatives, going from all sides, so it may be a period of lull, and I think that the cardinals will choose a fairly wise and moderate man.

According to the Vatican specialist, the next pope will undoubtedly be close to his predecessor Because the majority of voters were named cardinals by François.

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For his part, Father Jean-Pierre Bodjoko, Jesuit and editor at Catholic civilization, says the cardinals are not chosen by chance, but because they are in the line of the pontificate. The Pope calls the cardinals who can continue [son travail]. They come from the outskirts, from distant countries, where there had never been cardinals, and it will change the face of the churchhe believes.

After François, the church will not be like before François!

For her part, the consultant at the Press Office of the Holy See, Romilda Ferrauto, thinks that the cardinals seek to elect a pope who can be able to federate, someone who manages to compose the differencesshe said, evoking The importance of southern countriesand cultural diversity within the Cardinals College.

You need a strong personality, capable of gathering, creating consensus, and also listening.

Who are the favorites?

Among the cardinals present during the conclave, who are those who could do well and find themselves at the head of an institution which has more than 1.4 billion Catholics? I do not think that ultra conservatives can have a majority to completely reverse the course of historyestimates Jean-Louis de la Vaissière.

On the other hand, among papabilethe journalist mentions without hesitation the Italian cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Vatican, A very good, moderate and diplomatic man. A man who has worked a lot for peaceadds Loup Besmond de Senneville, who, however, underlines that this cardinal has never exercised pastoral responsibility. It is a more conservative profile than Pope Francishe judges.

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The name of Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle also circulates a lot. The former Archbishop of Manila, and former president of the Charitable Organism Caritas Internationalis, is Very point on the issue of abuses in the churchreports Jean-Louis de la Vaissière. He is a man of great sensitivity that cries in public so much it is sensitive.

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, is also on the front of the stage since he is Very committed to the diplomatic fieldin particular since he proposed himself as a hostage in the Gaza Strip in exchange for the return of children abducted on October 7 by Hamas.

Among the favorites, we could also mention Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, president of the Italian episcopal conference, known for his commitment against poverty. Or Cardinal Péter Erdő, Archbishop of Budapest and former president of the Council of Episcopal Conferences in Europe, perceived as a compromise between progressives and conservatives.

The list of papabile is long and you have to be wary of it, because depending on the adage, Who returns Pope to the Cardinal Shark Conclave. Anyway, these cardinals are influential with their peers, and they carry voices that will count during this conclave.

The pope who comes will not afford to upset everything that François has left: the way of being pope, proximity to people, humility, […] People got used to this.