The Conclave Is Set To Begin

Not since August 26, 1978, when Pope John Paul I was chosen, has the world and the Catholic Church had a Pope who was born in Italy and served his entire ministry there. Since then, the most recent Popes have come from other countries.

 

On Wednesday, May 7, the Cardinals will gather in the Sistine Chapel for the Conclave and will be sealed in until the next Pope is selected. Each day, two votes will be held in the morning and the afternoon. After each vote, the ballots will be burned.

If no Pope is selected, there will be black smoke. Once a Pope is selected, and he accepts, the smoke will burn white.

Several Cardinals are considered possible candidates to be the next Pope. Some of the most frequently mentioned names include Cardinal Pietro Parolin, currently the Papal SecState,  Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, the Phillipines Prelate, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, the Congolese Prelate, and Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, President of the Italian Episcopal Conference. Other names circulating include Cardinal Peter Erdo, Primate of Hungary, Cardinal Peter Turkson, Prelate of Ghana and Cardinal Kevin Farrell, currently the Camerlengo.

It will be an interesting Conclave. Will the 133 electors choose someone to continue Pope Francis’ changes, which have caused consternation among the more traditional and conservative faithful? Or will they decide that it is time to return to a more traditional Church?

When Francis was chosen, many thought his more liberal policies would finally modernize the Church. But instead, he seemed to alienate many as a social justice warrior Pope.

The Church is terribly divided; some say it is on the brink of collapse. The Church needs a Pope who is young enough to have a chance for a long reign, which would be needed to heal the Church.

Of the current Preferitti listed above, Tagle is 67, Ambongo Besungu is 65 and Pizzaballa is 59. Tagle is a liberal, in the Francis mold, while the other two are more traditional and conservative.

And while the Church needs to examine several long-held positions, like allowing Women Priests, the continued enforcement of Celibacy, and the punishment of clergy who violated children and those who covered it up, the Church also needs to bring back so many lapsed Catholics who have turned away over the last quarter century, for whatever their primary reasons were for leaving.

This will require a Pope who, similar to St Pope John Paul II, was elected at the age of 58, and served for twenty-seven years.

The best chance among the current Preferitti is Cardinal Pizzaballa. He was born in Italy, but has served in Israel for many years, distancing him from the immediate effects of the politics and intrigue of the Curia and the Vatican.

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa speaks Italian, Modern Hebrew, and English. He also has a limited understanding of Arabic. He has lived in Israel for over three decades and is fluent in Hebrew, having overseen the publication of the Roman Missal in Hebrew and translated various liturgical texts. In addition, just after October 7, 2023, he offered himself to Hamas in exchange as ransom in order to free the captured children, but was refused.

This is a good man, who absolutely would be a great choice for a Pope. He gets it.

Let’s hope and pray the Cardinals choose wisely.