The Pope is required: What is the Cardinals looking for in a new leader? | Religion news

When Pope Francis recently went up to the balcony of Bachelaica, Saint Peter, in 2013 to greet the crowd, he jokingly said that the Cardinate had gone “to the end of the world” – his homeland Argentina – to find a new Pontif.

In fact, the flavor, which surprised the resignation of Pope Benedict XV Scandals.

But as 135 Cardinals, who are under the age of 80, according to the rules of voting, are preparing to gather for a new papal tour after the death of Francis, the Vatican analysts say voters are now looking for a sober and united personality that can collect an institution vibrating with his revolutionary style and bring stability to the central government of the Church.

“Francis was chosen because he was not afraid to create chaos and reform. The next Pope should be a person who can calm things,” said Andrea Gallarduchi, a Vatican analyst at the Catholic News Agency.

Seek unity

In 2013, the goal was to convert the center of gravity from the Church from Europe to Latin America – an indication of the increasing influence of Christians there – and the regime restoring the Korea, the central government of the Apostolic clitoris, which is seen by many corrupt and functional imbalances.

Pope Francis was not ashamed of the mission. During its papacy, the current situation was shaded by the transformation of the tone, style and priorities radically, causing excitement among the reformists, but it was disturbed by the conservatives who accused him of eliminating the teachings of the church.

His reforms, such as allowing priests to bless couples of the same sex (in certain circumstances) and the reform of the Vatican bureaucracy, angered many. His unpredictable ruler style, which relied on a small group of close associates and reduced the strength of the church’s central government, raised tensions.

But Francis also thwarted some of the most liberal voices as his changes were not translated into basic reforms in the church belief, especially when it comes to the role of women in the church and marrying the same sex.

There is a consensus that the Cardinacle should focus on choosing a reassuring personality – a person who will not back down from past progress, but on an equal footing will not pay the borders excessively.

“We must move towards the Pope who finds unity in the diversity of the church, preserves the love of the poor, and pay attention to the most marginalized, but also rebuilding, and not recovering, the institutions governing the church,” said Massimo Franco, a political column writer in Corrier del Della Sira and author of eight.

The names began to float. The strong competitor is Luis Antonio Talal, 65, a close ally of Pope Francis and progressive. If chosen, the Filipino will become the first Asian back. There is also Cardinal Peter Erdo from Hungary, 72 years old, and is traditional and non -theological known as the divorced Catholic opposition who receive communication and his anti -immigrant views. From the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cardinal Friedoline Ambongo, 65, is famous for his position on human rights and anti -corruption efforts.

Among the Italians, the most frequent names is Petro Parolin, 70, the Vatican Foreign Minister, who played an important diplomatic role and was a fundamental figure in the leadership of Pope Francis. Pierbattista pizzaballa, 60, was the first official in the Vatican in Middle East affairs, and his experience in the region has gained it widely.

Looking at the global south

Geographically, the choice was not broader. During his term, Francis appointed 80 percent of the Cardinals who will vote in this range, and they changed the face of the written leadership effectively by making it more representative to the south.

Cardinals who are currently voting from 65 countries – many Africa, Asia, South America and Oceania, with those who now represent 39 percent of the total, compared to 52 percent in 2013. There are also fewer North America than it was before the election of Pope Francis.

This means that, for the first time, there will be more Cardinals than the global south than Europe, although the Europeans are still a relative majority.

Cardinals tend to be from the global south until they correspond strongly with Pope Francis pushing for progress in issues such as social justice, migration, climate change, ending the conflict in Gaza and Ukraine – even when that means Western leaders who often expect Pontif to take a stronger position against Russia or one profit on inclusion.

In one prominent cases during the first presidency of US President Donald Trump from 2017 to 2021, the Pope spoke against the border wall between the United States and Mexico, saying that the person who builds the walls instead of bridges was not Christian.

A more conservative look?

Marco Politi, the Vatican expert and author of the book “Pope Francis between the Wolves”, said that the presence of a stronger southern south on the side may ensure that these positions are not ignored by the church.

However, the appointment of Francis does not necessarily translate into supporting his vision on all fronts. Politi said: “Some of the electrocrats from the global south are more conservative when it comes to social and humanitarian issues, especially with regard to the role of women and gay people within the church,” Politi said.

For example, the Cardinal Ambongo of DRC, which became Cardinal by Francis in 2019, was a strong opponent to push Francis to allow the priests to bless couples of the same sex. The reaction was to the point that the Pope was forced to reduce the rule of my teacher for the year 2023 and allow the blessings only as long as it is not part of the rituals of ordinary church or the trotters, and it is not presented in the contexts related Civil unions or wedding parties.

Another factor is that many Cardinals barely know each other, and for at least 80 of them, this will be their first tour and their first confrontation with the complications of the central government of the church – which is a “frightening” possibility even for those who are accustomed to. Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, joking with BBC that he believed that the Confavian “will pass me” because he represents only a few months of his eighty birthday. When I was informed that the Pope was seriously sick, he realized: “Lord, this will come on my way.”

Politi said: “The Pope wanted to appoint the Cardinals from remote countries to increase the internationalization of the church, but they may have little knowledge of the church structure as a global body that governs 1.4 billion people.”

Although no date has been set after the Cardinals are closed in the Sistine chapel to vote for the next Pope, during the next nine days, they will meet twice daily for pre -eliminating meetings inside the Vatican.

In one of these beginners, the meetings were called in Italian, before being 2013, that Jorge Mario Bergelio gave a letter to the lead. A few days later, Pope Francis became.

All currency, including those over 80 years old, can attend these meetings. Since they are presenting their positions on what they think, they are the main issues that the new Pope must address, they may present an idea of ​​the type they are looking for.