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THE ARCHBISHOP OF Dublin has said that it will not be politics that is on the minds of the Conclave when it comes to the selection of a new pope, but faith.
Dermot Farrell said he believes the voting Cardinals will be thinking of “the worldwide church” in making their decision next month.
Farrell and Eamon Martin, the Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, were speaking to The Journal in St Peter’s Square ahead of the funeral of the late Pope Francis tomorrow.
Francis died on Monday morning. An estimated 250,000 people passed through St Peter’s Basilica across three days to see him lying in state. His coffin was sealed this evening.
The late pontiff’s funeral will take place at 10am (9am Irish time) tomorrow, before his burial at his favourite church, Rome’s papal basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.
Thoughts will then turn to Francis’s successor, and to the Conclave who will select the next Supreme Pontiff.
There are 252 cardinals, but only 135 are under 80 and therefore eligible to vote in the Conclave to elect a new pope. Francis himself appointed 108 of these 135 voting Cardinals and while many are aligned with his thinking, not all are.
The feverish atmosphere in Rome ahead of the coming conclave was on full display as The Journal spoke to the Archbishops.
With the world’s media descended on Vatican City, our interview soon attracted a crowd of people who swiftly stuck their microphones in front of the Archbishops – without knowing who they were.
Both men answered questions for about an hour. Afterwards, those gathered had to ask their names. Upon learning that they were not Cardinals, some simply left.
It is thought that geography may play a role in the selection of the next pope.
Of the 135 eligible cardinals, 54 are from Europe, 24 from Asia, 18 each from South America and Africa, 16 from North America, four from Central America and four from Oceania.
Many of the cardinals from Asia and Africa feel that the Church in the global south has long since come of age, with some keen to assert this on the global stage. Some experts believe they are unlikely to choose a candidate from Europe, where the Church is stagnant.
Asked if the Church’s growth in Asia and Africa will be playing on the minds of the voting cardinals when they make their choice, Farrell said he does not believe so.
“I think they’ll be thinking of the worldwide church, and that we are a worldwide church that embraces the whole world, all the continents, north, south, east and west,” he said.
“When you begin to think in terms of Africa or Europe or America, you’re thinking politics rather than faith, and this is really a faith decision. It’s made in prayer. That’s what’s going to be uppermost in the minds of the Cardinals when they come to make a final selection.”
Archbishop Martin said Pope Francis had already begun the process of finding his successor.
“He was the first pope from the Global South, a pope from Latin America, very much his theology influenced by the theology of the people that came from Latin America,” Martin said.
[Pope Francis] said ‘You had to go to the end of the world to find a pope’. Maybe we’ll be doing that again. Who knows? Whatever will be.
“I just hope and pray that the people of God in the Catholic Church throughout the world will be united. We are one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. Let’s be united around our new Shepherd, whoever that might be.”
Archbishops Farrell and Martin are representing Ireland’s bishops at the Vatican for the funeral. Martin described how “very special” it is to be part of the experience and to see the diversity of people present.
“People from all over the world, thousands and thousands of people, who just wanted to be here to pay their respects to the Holy Father, to pray for his soul, of course, and to give thanks to God for his amazing ministry among us.”
The Vatican has said a group of “poor and needy” will be at Santa Maria Maggiore to welcome the coffin of Francis, who was known for his advocacy of the poor, ahead of his burial tomorrow.
“Pope Francis was very clear from the beginning that he wanted to be a pope for the poor, for the marginalised, for those who were on the peripheries of society, people also who were maybe even excluded from the church,” Martin said.
“He wanted to let them know, ‘Listen, Jesus loves you, God loves you. You are part of our family. You are important in our family’.”
Both Farrell and Martin were able to see Pope Francis lying in state today.
“It was quite emotional and quite sad, especially when you see the Holy Father lying in that simple coffin,” Farrell said.
When you see a person in the coffin, it brings home the finality of death. That’s always a sad moment. It kind of strikes a chord in your heart.
Martin said the Rosary in St Peter’s Basilica when he saw the late pope, and remembered “the intentions of so many people at home who have asked me to bring their prayers here to St Peter’s today”.
“There were people in the crowd sobbing, openly weeping,” he said.
“For me, it was sad, but I also felt the Holy Father had really reached the stage where God wanted him back.
“He had done everything he could do. He had made an immense contribution, and I just hope we pray now that he will get his eternal reward for all of his goodness.”
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