Pope Francis Demise: World Focuses On Cardinals To Elect Next Pope
Expectations are on top gear that the Argentine pontiff’s successor will be another non-European, and that like Francis, he could be another progressive, opposed to the Church’s conservative wing given the nature of cardinal appointments Francis made during his papacy.
Pope Francis leaves after a consistory to create 14 new cardinals in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican in this June 28, 2018, file photo. The pope has updated rules for the Vatican court system so that cardinals and bishops accused of a crime can now be tried by the Vatican City court, just like priests and laypeople can be. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)
Roman Catholics around the globe will start speculating on who among the red-robed cardinals will succeed late Pope Francis following the announcement of his death by the Vatican on Monday.
Expectations are on top gear that the Argentine pontiff’s successor will be another non-European, and that like Francis, he could be another progressive, opposed to the Church’s conservative wing given the nature of cardinal appointments Francis made during his papacy.
However, according to reports, the election process that would take place once Francis is buried is highly secretive and nothing would be certain until white smoke pouring from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel tells the world that a new pope has been picked.
Cardinals are a pontiff’s closest collaborators, running key departments at the Vatican and dioceses around the world.
When a pope dies or resigns, those cardinals aged under 80 are eligible to enter a secret conclave to choose the new head of the nearly 1.4 billion-member Roman Catholic Church from among themselves.
The complex vote would reveal if the current cardinals, most of them being put there by Francis, believe his embrace of liberal social values and his progressive reform agenda have gone too far and whether a period of retrenchment is needed.
The cardinals would set the date for the start of the conclave after they start arriving in Rome in the coming days.
As of April 21 there were a total of 252 cardinals, 135 of them cardinal electors under 80, according to data published by the Vatican, 108 of the electors were appointed by Francis, 22 by his predecessor Benedict and five by John Paul II.
Cardinals are created at ceremonies called consistories, where they are given their ring, a red biretta – a square cap – and pledge loyalty to the pope, even if it means shedding blood or sacrificing their lives, as signified by the color red.
Pope Francis held 10 consistories and with each of them, he increased the chances that his successor will be another non-European, having beefed up the Church in places where it is either a tiny minority or where it is growing faster than in the mostly stagnant West.
For many centuries, most cardinals were Italian, except for a period when the papacy was based in Avignon between the year 1309 and 1377 when many were French.
The internationalization of the College of Cardinals began in earnest under Paul VI (1963-1978). It was greatly accelerated by John Paul II (1978-2005), a Pole who was the first non-Italian pope in 455 years.
