(ZENIT News / Rome, 29.04.2025).- Lists of papal candidates and opinions on the outcome of the election for the new Pope appear in the media: some are bold, others reasoned. ZENIT offers statements from the Cardinals, protagonists of the Conclave in the papal election, to gain insight into the views of those who will cast a vote, which are normally distant from the prevailing mentality outside the Church.
Our intention is to facilitate a balanced judgment before the white smoke rises over the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York and a prominent figure in the College of Cardinals, declared, in a television interview on April 22, that some sectors of the North American Episcopate were eager for continuity with the pontificate of Pope Francis in his affective line, but accompanied by clearer and more well-founded doctrinal orientations: [With] the “warm heart of Francis . . . [but] how should I say it? More clarity in teaching, more refinement of the Church’s Tradition, more exploration of the treasures of the past.»
He spoke in a measured, firm tone, seeking a balance between Pope Francis’ pastoral closeness to the people and greater doctrinal precision with ecclesial Tradition.
For his part, Filipino Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, Bishop of Kalookan, just outside Manila, spoke to journalists on April 22 after Mass in his Cathedral: «There are no candidates in a Conclave,» he said in the context of the elections to be held in May in the Philippines. «No one will distribute programs, no one will put up posters, no one will campaign. A Conclave is a Retreat. The Cardinals will pray, and it is in a spirit of prayer that we will ask, not who we want to elect, but who the Lord wants to succeed Pope Francis. Therefore, we have a great moral and spiritual obligation to participate in the Conclave, not in a political spirit, but in a spirit of prayer for the continuity of the Church’s mission.»
In reference to the Pope’s successor, Cardinal David noted that he wishes for «someone who supports Pope Francis’ vision of synodality.» He added that while many see synodality as a matter of intra-ecclesial and organizational debates, Cardinal David clarified that synodality is «promoting the mission of the Church. That the Church not be too ecclesial or introspective. That she open her doors and look outward, toward society. Because we have a mission: we are the salt of the earth, we are the light of the world.» And he added: «What is the point of building large parishes if we do not make a difference in society?»
Cardinal Gerhard Müller, 77, was Bishop of Regensburg, Germany, Dean of Dogmatic Theology at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, and appointed Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith at the Vatican in 2013 by Benedict XVI. He held the post until 2017, when he was removed by Pope Francis.
Speaking about the new Pope, Müller gave an interview to The Times on April 23 about his perspective on the candidate: «He must be orthodox, neither liberal nor conservative. The question is not between conservatives and liberals, but between orthodoxy and heresy. I am praying that the Holy Spirit will enlighten the Cardinals, because a Pope who changes every day according to what the media says would be catastrophic.»
Cardinal Müller feels that the new Pope should not «seek the applause of the secular world, which sees the Church as a humanitarian organization that does social work.» He stated that the Cardinals «have the responsibility to elect a man capable of unifying the Church in revealed truth. I hope the Cardinals are not so influenced by what they are reading in the headlines.»
And, regarding the Conclave, he clarified: «It is not a power game played by stupid people seeking to manipulate, like in this movie, which has nothing to do with reality.»
When asked whether he would promote doctrinal Catholicism in the meetings prior to the Conclave, he said, «I have to do it. I owe it to my conscience.» He suggested that confusing doctrine leads to division in the Church.
Cardinal Juan José Omella, Archbishop of Barcelona, gave an interview to Carlos Herrera of the COPE network on April 25. Regarding the Conclave, he stated that the Cardinals gather «to listen to God, to hear the Holy Spirit.»
«Now we talk about the needs of society, while the Church’s action is to transmit the message of Jesus.» Regarding the profile he sees of the new Pope, he emphasized that he must be “faithful to the Gospel, neither retrograde nor progressive, but seeking the change proposed by Vatican II.» He explained that it is important to continue Pope Francis’ promotion of Christian joy and hope, as well as the spirituality and dialogue needed to choose the most suitable candidate.
Regarding the Conclave, he said: «I know who I can vote for, although my vote may change along the way.» And he clarified that he will observe the positions the Cardinals take, so that if the majority leans toward a person, he will support him without hesitation.
A second part will continue.
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