VATICAN CITY (RNS) — As cardinals left their final meeting before the conclave begins, they expressed confidence in their time of listening and prayer, and some predicted a relatively quick election of the next pope.
“We’ve gotten to know the voices of bishops from all over the world,” Cardinal José Cobo Cano, archbishop of Madrid, told RNS in Spanish. “We go on with a wide cosmos of opinions.”
Cardinal Baselios Cleemis, major archbishop-Catholicos of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, who is based in Kerala, India, said the general congregations were a process “to go deeper (into) the life of Christ and get strength from him, and to respond to the challenges” facing the church.
“It’s a process of deep reflection,” Cleemis said.
Cardinals said they now had a better sense of each other, despite having little familiarity before the general congregations since the geographically diverse cardinals didn’t gather frequently during Pope Francis’ papacy. In their private speeches Tuesday (May 6), prelates underlined the need for “regular meetings of cardinals,” according to the Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni.
“After 15 days, yes, we now know each other better,” said Cobo Cano, adding he thought the conclave would be relatively short.
The general congregation on Tuesday also addressed continuing Francis’ reforms, not only concerning safeguarding and accountability measures to combat clerical sex abuse but also regarding the Vatican’s finances and bureaucracy, church structure and care for the environment.
Cardinals from Spain take a photo with tourists in Rome, Tuesday, May 6, 2025. (RNS photo/Aleja Hertzler-McCain)
“Cardinals discussed the immediate need to address climate change,” Bruni said, adding these speeches were made by cardinals who hail from countries that are most affected by pollution and global warming.
They also painted a picture of qualities they believe the next pontiff should have — someone who “may be a bridge builder, a pastor, a teacher of humanity and with the face of a Samaritan,” Bruni said. Vatican observers questioned whether such an illustrious candidate exists among the leading contenders within the College of Cardinals, raising questions as to whether they will agree on a compromise or vote for an unexpected candidate.
Francis underwent his own transformation before becoming pontiff, and many questioned at the time whether the disgruntled Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires — who was appointed as a reformer of the church’s backward institutions — possessed the qualities to become a leader to over 1.4 billion Catholics around the globe. Once elected, though, he displayed a magnetic charisma and an aptitude for speaking to the masses and bringing his message even to lapsed and non-Catholic observers.
The cardinals also reflected on war, violence and polarization in society and the church, addressing the need to elect “a pope of mercy and synodality and hope,” Bruni said. Pope Francis promoted synodality as a means to promote dialogue, lay involvement and participation in the church’s leadership and structures.
Acknowledging the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East and many other regions of the world, the cardinals approved and issued a statement on Tuesday in which they made “a heartfelt appeal to the parties involved so that they might achieve a permanent ceasefire as soon as possible and negotiate the peace long desired by the populations involved and the entire world, without preconditions and further long waits.”
Cardinal Ruben Salazar Gomez, left, and Cardinal Luis José Rueda Aparicio arrive in the New Hall of the Synod at the Vatican, May 6, 2025, the last time before the start of the conclave starting in the afternoon of May 7, when they will elect the successor of Pope Francis. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
The cardinals’ statement came on the heels of news that Israel’s security cabinet had unanimously approved a plan to intensify military operations in Gaza, force a massive relocation of Palestinians and indefinitely cement military control of large parts of the enclave. Their concern reflects a focus of Francis, who had held nightly calls with the Catholic parish in Gaza and donated one of his popemobiles to serve as a mobile health clinic for Gaza’s children shortly before his death.
In a dramatic turn of events, Kenyan Cardinal John Njue told the Daily Nation on Monday that he had “not been invited” to take part in the conclave. But the Archdiocese of Nairobi issued a statement on Tuesday stating the cardinal had been invited though the Apostolic Nunciature in Kenya but he could not attend due to his poor health.
The latest data from the Vatican’s yearbook, the Annuario Pontificio, states Njue is 79 years old, even though previous editions showed he was 80, meaning he’d be too old to take part in the conclave.
Asked about the confusion surrounding the Kenyan cardinal, Bruni said it’s not uncommon for dates to be corrected after local investigations that might not have been available in the past, especially in developing countries.
Bruni also said all cardinals are invited to come to the Vatican to vote for the next pontiff as soon as the pope dies as part of the rights associated with their title. “In some cases, a verification is made by the cardinal dean through the nunciature. In this case, it was done, and the response was negative,” Bruni said in regard to Njue not attending.
Meanwhile, Pope Francis’ sigils and piscatory ring, bearing his name in Latin and used to seal official documents, were made void in the presence of the cardinals Tuesday morning.
Pope Francis’ sigils and piscatory ring are made void in the presence of the cardinals, Tuesday morning, May 6, 2025, at the Vatican. (Photo © Vatican Media)
After a morning Mass on Wednesday to prepare for the papal election, called Pro Eligendo Pontifice, the cardinals will convene in the Pauline chapel for prayer in the afternoon and follow in procession to the Sistine Chapel, where the doors will be closed to the outside world, noting the solemn Latin words “extra omnes,” meaning “all out.”
After a speech by the former preacher of the papal household, Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, the cardinals will prepare to cast their votes. Onlookers will be able to see the smoke coming out of the chimney placed atop the Sistine Chapel as soon as Wednesday evening in Rome, but few believe they will see white after the first ballot.
While Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Pope Francis’ No. 2 official as the Vatican secretary of state, is rumored to be a favorite in the conclave, closely followed by Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, anything can happen once the doors of the Sistine Chapel are closed.
And as Cardinal Lluís Martínez Sistach, the retired archbishop of Barcelona, Spain, who is too old to vote, told RNS, “Until the extra omnes, listening and prayer.”