Jamaine Punzalan

Cardinals walk near the Vatican in the streets of Rome on April 25, 2025. Marco Bertorello, AFP

Article (news)

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1745805937590Screenshot 2025-04-28 at 10.05.23 AM.png" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Cardinals walk near the Vatican in the streets of Rome on April 25, 2025. Marco Bertorello, AFP </span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>Red-hatted cardinals were expected to pick a date Monday for the conclave to elect a new leader of the world&#x27;s 1.4 billion Catholics, following the death of Pope Francis.</p><p>Dozens of so-called &quot;Princes of the Church&quot; from across the world have been gathering at the Vatican since the 88-year-old Argentine pontiff died on April 21.</p><p>But so far there are few clues as to who they might choose next.</p><p>&quot;I believe that if Francis has been the pope of surprises, this conclave will be too, as it is not at all predictable,&quot; Spanish Cardinal Jose Cobo said in an interview published Sunday.</p><p>In previous conclaves, &quot;you can see where things might go&quot;, he told El Pais newspaper, whereas this time many cardinals hail from beyond Europe and have not even met each other before.</p><p>Francis was laid to rest Saturday with a funeral and burial ceremony that drew 400,000 people to St Peter&#x27;s Square and beyond, including royalty, world leaders and ordinary pilgrims.</p><p>Vast crowds also gathered Sunday to view his marble tomb in the Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica in Rome, after the &quot;pope of the poor&quot; opted to be buried outside the Vatican&#x27;s walls.</p><p>With conflicts and diplomatic crises raging around the world, Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who under Francis was secretary of state -- the pope&#x27;s number two -- is for many the favourite to succeed him.</p><p>British bookmakers William Hill put him slightly ahead of Filipino Luis Antonio Tagle, the Metropolitan Archbishop emeritus of Manila, followed by Ghana&#x27;s Cardinal Peter Turkson.</p><p>Next in their odds comes Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, then Guinea&#x27;s Cardinal Robert Sarah, and Matteo Zuppi, the Archbishop of Bologna.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;RIGHT POPE&#x27;</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Ricardo Cruz, 44, a data and artificial intelligence specialist who came to see Francis&#x27;s 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 &quot;right pope&quot;.</p><p>While Francis&#x27;s efforts to create a more compassionate Church earned him widespread affection and respect, some of his reforms angered the Church&#x27;s conservative wing, particularly in the United States and Africa.</p><p>Roberto Regoli, a professor of Church history and culture at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, told AFP the cardinals would be looking &quot;to find someone who knows how to forge greater unity&quot;.</p><p>&quot;We are in a period in which Catholicism is experiencing various polarisations, so I don&#x27;t imagine it will be a very, very quick conclave,&quot; he said.</p><p>The cardinals have held general meetings since Francis&#x27;s death to make decisions about the funeral and beyond.</p><p>At 9:00 am (0700 GMT) on Monday, they will hold their fifth meeting, at which they are likely to fix a conclave date.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/4/25/hope-apprehension-and-politics-cardinals-search-for-new-pope-2218">Hope, apprehension and politics: Cardinals search for new pope</a></div><p>Experts have suggested it may take place on May 5 or 6 -- shortly after the nine days of papal mourning, which ends on May 4.</p><p>So far, there has been an atmosphere of &quot;great openness&quot;, Italian Cardinal Giuseppe Versaldi told La Repubblica newspaper.</p><p>&quot;There are different opinions, but there is a more spiritual than political or combative climate,&quot; he said Sunday.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;COURAGEOUS LEADER&#x27;</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>There are 252 cardinals but only 135 of them are aged under 80 and therefore eligible to vote for a new pope.</p><p>Some 80 percent of the cardinal electors were appointed by Francis -- though that is no guarantee they will pick a successor in his likeness.</p><p>Most are relatively young, and for many it is their first conclave.</p><p>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.</p><p>The process could take several days, or potentially longer.</p><p>There are four votes per day -- two in the morning and two in the afternoon -- until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority.</p><p>Fewer than half of those eligible to vote are European.</p><p>&quot;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,&quot; Cardinal Dieudonne Nzapalainga from the Central African Republic told the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero.</p><p>&quot;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.&quot;</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/4/27/mass-held-in-makati-to-honor-pope-francis-legacy-2137">Mass held in Makati to honor Pope Francis’ legacy</a></div><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><iframe width="853" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pc3uOK6IBDU" title="Pope Francis&#x27; body is buried in St. Mary Major Basilica | ABS-CBN News" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><iframe width="853" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/L-Gd2B9Nytk" title="WATCH: Pope Francis&#x27; coffin arrives at St. Mary Major Basilica for burial | ABS-CBN News" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>

<p>Red-hatted cardinals were expected to pick a date Monday for the conclave to elect a new leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, following the death of Pope Francis.</p>

Red-hatted cardinals were expected to pick a date Monday for the conclave to elect a new leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, following the death of Pope Francis.

Cardinals set to pick conclave date to elect new pope

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Cardinals set to pick conclave date to elect new pope

Agence France-Presse

Published Apr 28, 2025 10:09 AM PHT

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