“Filling the shoes of the fisherman can be an unpredictable process and full of surprises”
WITH the burial of Pope Francis last Sunday, 133 of the 252 cardinals will participate in the conclave that will decide on who will be the next Pope to lead the estimated 1.4 billion strong Roman Catholic Church.
To be able to participate, one has to be less than 80 years of age. 135 cardinals were supposed to be participating but two will not be joining. One is due to health reasons and the other is because of his conviction of financial crimes.
Of those who will attend, a two thirds vote is needed to elect a Pope and the one selected must agree to accept his election, otherwise the process will have to be done again.
It is interesting to note that out of the 135 under 80, 108 were appointed by Pope Francis during his 12-year papacy.
As always, every time there is an election for a new pope, it attracts worldwide attention due to the enormous authority a pope welds on moral, social and spiritual issues.
For us Filipinos, it is doubly significant this time around because we have a cardinal that is among those who are being touted as a papabile.
As such, even before the passing of Pope Francis, there are those among us Filipinos who have been posting in the social media trying to enhance the election chances of Luis Antonio Tagle as pope.
Some have even gone to the extent of saying it is already a done deal. They do not seem to realize that they might just be hurting his chances more than anything else.
We all want a Filipino pope but these people should follow the advice of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines and simply keep quiet and just pray for him.
They should remember the old saying that he who enters the conclave as a pope comes out a cardinal. Besides, they also have to bear in mind that the search for someone to fill the shoes of the fisherman is not a popularity contest.
It is a deeply spiritual and secretive process entrusted only to the members of the College of Cardinals composed of learned men from all the corners of the globe.
Today the face of the Catholic Church is changing fast.
The influence of Europe where the past popes have traditionally come from is waning as shown by the growing number of cardinals from outside the continent.
Theirs numbers have grown and this was mainly due to the late Pope Francis who himself was the first Pope elected from outside Europe in 1,300 years.
So, whoever will become the next Vicar of Christ will have to deal with these new realities in addition to the usual age-old differences between the conservatives and progressives within the church leadership structure.
Pope Francis more than any other pope in the past tried to bring the church to the modern world.
Those who disagree, however, are saying it was too fast and too soon.
No wonder, papal observers are asking whether the next pope will continue the same programs that Pope Francis championed or will it be someone who will pause and return to more traditional observance of religious issues.
Whoever will be elected as the new pope, therefore, will give us a glimpse of the direction that the church will be taking.
Among the so-called front runners, the current Secretary of State, Cardinal Parolin is experienced and is known for his administrative skills.
He is also known for being deliberate and careful. Cardinal Tagle’s is admired due to his extensive pastoral work, his connection to the developing world and is known as the Asian Francis.
Cardinal Sarah, on the other hand, is a respected figure among conservatives.
Others like Cardinal Zuppi, the president of the Italian Bishops Conference, was very close to Pope Francis.
But there is really no such thing as a frontrunner.
The next Pope could very well be someone like Pope Francis who was elected in just two days and whose name was never even mentioned before his election.
Filling the shoes of the fisherman can be an unpredictable process and full of surprises.