Author: Virginia Pietromarchi
Published on: 27/04/2025 | 00:00:00
AI Summary:
Pope Francis stepped onto the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica in 2013 to greet the crowd. He joked that the cardinals had gone “to the end of the world” to find a new pontiff. But as per the voting rules, electors now appear to be looking for a sober and unifying figure who can piece together an institution shaken by his revolutionary style. Francis frustrated some liberal-leaning voices as changes never seemed to translate into fundamental reforms in the Church’s doctrine. There is consensus that cardinals must focus on choosing a reassuring figure. A strong contender is Louis Antonio Tagle, 65, a close ally of Pope Francis and a progressive. Cardinals from the Global South have tended to be strongly aligned with Pope Francis’s push for progress on issues such as social justice, migration, climate change and ending the conflict in Gaza and Ukraine. In one notable case during US President Donald Trump’s first presidency from 2017 to 2021, the pope spoke against the US-Mexico border wall, saying a person who builds walls instead of bridges was “not Christian”. The Global South’s stronger presence in the conclave may ensure that such positions will not be Cardinal Ambongo, who was made cardinal by Francis in 2019, was a staunch opponent of Francis’ push to allow priests to bless same-sex couples. The pushback was such that the pope was forced to dilute a 2023 landmark ruling and allow blessings only as long as they are not part of regular Church rituals or liturgies. For at least 80 cardinals, this will be their first conclave and their first encounter with the complexities of the Church’s central government as they present their positions on what they believe are the main issues the new pope should tackle, they may offer a clue as to just what kind of figure they are looking for.
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