When newly elected Pope Francis stepped into the balcony of St. Peter’s Cathedral to greet the crowd in 2013, he joked that the Cardinals had gone “to the end of the world.”
In fact, unbearable at the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, Conclave was actively seeking across Europe for powerful communicators who were bold enough to take on leadership in institutions plagued by sexual and financial scandals.
However, as a cardinal of 135 people, according to the voting rules, people under the age of 80 are preparing to gather at the new Pope Conclave after Francis’ death.
“We’ve seen a lot of effort and we’ve seen you in a lot of ways,” said Andrea Gagrialducci, Vatican analyst at Catholic News Agency.
I will strive to be united
The goal for 2013 was to shift the church’s center of gravity from Europe to Latin America. This was a sign of increasing Christian influence there, restoring the Curia order.
Pope Francis did not move away from the task. Through his Holy See, he fundamentally changed shifts, styles and priorities, causing excitement among reformers, but disappointing among conservatives who accused them of diluting the teachings of the Church.
His reforms have infuriated many, including allowing priests to celebrate same-sex couples (in certain circumstances) and overhauling the Vatican bureaucracy. His unpredictable style of governance relied on a small group of best friends, reducing the power of the church’s central government and stoking tensions.
However, Francis also irritated some of the more liberal voices, as his change seemed not to be translated into fundamental reforms of the Church’s doctrine, particularly when it came to terms with the role of women in church and same-sex marriage.
There is a consensus that Cardinals need to focus on choosing encouraging people.
“We must aim to the Pope, who unites in the diversity of the Church and maintains love for the most marginalized.
The name began to come to mind. The strong competitors are 65-year-old Louis Antonio Tagle, close ally of Pope Francis, and progressive. If chosen, the Filipinos will become the first Asian Pope. He is also a Hungarian Cardinal, 72, who is a traditionalist and theologian known for his divorcing Catholic receiving communion and his anti-immigrant views. From the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 65-year-old Cardinal Fridrin Ambongo is known for his stance on human rights and anti-corruption efforts.
Among the Italians, the most recurring name was Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, age 70, who played an important diplomatic role and was the central figure in the leadership of Pope Francis. Piazabattista Pizzabara, 60, was a top official in the Vatican’s Middle Eastern affairs, and his experience in the region has broadly respected him.
Looking at the global South
Geographically speaking, choices are more widespread than ever before. During his tenure, Francis effectively changed the face of administrative leadership by appointing 80% of the Cardinals to vote in this Conclave, and by far more representative of the Global South.
Currently, the voting cardinals come from 65 countries. Most of them come from Africa, Asia, South America and Oceania, and 39% of the total are from Europe. This is compared to 52% in 2013.
This means that for the first time there will be more cardinals from Europe from the global South, despite the fact that Europeans still have a relative majority.
Cardinals from the Global South tended to partner strongly with progress on issues such as social justice, migration, climate change and the Gaza-Ukrainian conflict.
During President Donald Trump’s first presidency from 2017 to 2021, the Pope spoke to the US-Mexico border wall, saying that those who build walls instead of bridges are “not Christians.” Trump returned at the time, saying that questions about the Pope’s faith were “disgrace.”
A more conservative outlook?
Vatican expert and author of the book Marco Politi and Pope Francis’ Wolf Author Marco Politi said the presence of a global South might ensure that such a position is not overlooked by the Church in the future.
Still, being appointed by Francis does not necessarily translate into supporting his vision in all respects. “Some of the new elected cardinals from the Global South are more conservative on social and gender issues, particularly with regard to the role of women and gay rights within the church,” Politics said.
For example, the DRC Cardinal Ambongo, which became cardinal by Francis in 2019, was a solid opponent of Francis’ push to allow priests to celebrate same-sex couples. The pushback was so high that the Pope was forced to dilute the 2023 landmark ruling and allow blessings only as long as it is given in a context relating to a civic union or wedding, unless it is part of a regular church ritual or liturgy.
Another factor is that many of the Cardinals know little about each other, and for at least 80, this is their first conclave, their first encounter with the complexities of the church’s central government, and a “threatening” prospect for those accustomed to it. Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, joked to the BBC that he thought Conclave would “pass past me” as he was only a few months after his 80th birthday. When he was informed that the Pope was seriously ill, he realized: “Oh, this will come my way.”
“The Pope wanted to appoint Cardinals from far countries to increase the internationalization of the Church, but they may have little knowledge of the structure of the Church as a global organisation that controls 1.4 billion people,” Politics said.
There is yet to be a time when the Cards will be secretly sealed within the Systin Chapel for the next nine days to vote for the next Pope, but they will meet twice a day for pre-compete meetings within the Vatican.
It is one of these Congelagioni that the conference is called in Italian before the 2013 Conclave, with Jorge Mario Bergolio giving a speech that urged him to excellence. A few days later he became Pope Francis.
All Cards, including Cards over the age of 80, can attend these meetings. They may provide clues as to the type of figure they are looking for, as they present their position on what they believe is the main issue the new Pope should address.
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