By Agence France-Presse
On Monday, April 28, red-hatted cardinals were expected to pick a date for the conclave to elect a new leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, following the death of Pope Francis.
Dozens of so-called “Princes of the Church” from across the world have been gathering at the Vatican since the 88-year-old Argentine pontiff died on April 21. But so far there are few clues as to whom they might choose next.
“I believe that if Francis has been the pope of surprises, this conclave will be too, as it is not at all predictable,” Spanish Cardinal Jose Cobo said in an interview published on Sunday, April 28.
In previous conclaves, “you can see where things might go”, he told El Pais newspaper, whereas this time many cardinals hail from beyond Europe and have not even met each other before.
Francis was laid to rest on Saturday, April 26, with a funeral and burial ceremony that drew 400,000 people to St. Peter’s Square and beyond, including royalty, world leaders, and ordinary pilgrims.
Vast crowds also gathered on Sunday to view his marble tomb in the Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica in Rome, after the “pope of the poor” opted to be buried outside the Vatican’s walls.
With conflicts and diplomatic crises raging around the world, Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who was secretary of state under the leadership of Francis—the pope’s number two – is for many, the favorite to succeed him.
British bookmakers William Hill put 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 comes Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, then Guinea’s Cardinal Robert Sarah, and Matteo Zuppi, the Archbishop of Bologna.
‘Right pope’
Ricardo Cruz, 44, a data and artificial intelligence specialist who came to see Francis’ tomb on Sunday, said that as a Filipino, he hoped the next pope would be from Asia, but as a Catholic, he just hoped the cardinals would pick the “right pope”.
While Francis’ efforts to create a more compassionate Church earned him widespread affection and respect, some of his reforms angered the Church’s conservative wing, particularly in the United States and Africa.
Roberto Regoli, a professor of Church history and culture at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, told AFP the cardinals would be looking “to find someone who knows how to forge greater unity.”
“We are in a period in which Catholicism is experiencing various polarizations, so I don’t imagine it will be a very, very quick conclave,” he said.
The cardinals have held general meetings since Francis’ death to make decisions about the funeral and beyond. At 9:00 am (0700 GMT) on Monday, April 28, they will hold their fifth meeting, at which they are likely to fix a conclave date.
Experts have suggested it may take place on May 5 or 6—shortly after the nine days of papal mourning, which end on May 4.
So far, there has been an atmosphere of “great openness,” Italian Cardinal Giuseppe Versaldi told La Repubblica newspaper.
“There are different opinions, but there is a more spiritual than political or combative climate,” he said on Sunday.
‘Courageous leader’
There are 252 cardinals, but only 135 of them are aged under 80 and therefore eligible to vote for a new pope.
Some 80 percent of the cardinal electors were appointed by Francis – though that is no guarantee they will pick a successor in his likeness. Most are relatively young, and for many it is their first conclave.
The vote, held in the Sistine Chapel with its 16th-century ceiling frescoed by Michelangelo, is highly secretive and follows strict rules and ceremonial procedures. The process could take several days, or potentially longer.
There are four votes per day – two in the morning and two in the afternoon – until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority. Fewer than half of those eligible to vote are European.
“The future pope must have a universal heart, love all the continents. We must not look at colour, at origin, but at what is proposed,” Cardinal Dieudonne Nzapalainga from the Central African Republic told the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero.
“We need a courageous leader, a bold one, capable of speaking forcefully, of holding the helm of the Church steady even in storms… offering stability in an era of great uncertainty.”
