Latest news with #GianfrancoRavasi
New York Times
08-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Older cardinals can't vote in the conclave, but they have thoughts on the proceedings.
While younger cardinals are busy choosing the new pope in a series of votes in Vatican City, older cardinals — those age 80 and over who are not allowed to vote — are mostly waiting it out like the rest of us. But many of them attended the meetings that preceded the conclave, where cardinals spent days contemplating who should be their next pope, and they have thoughts. An Italian cardinal, Gianfranco Ravasi, who is 82 and not voting in the conclave, said that he had been impressed by a speech made by Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline of Marseille, France, who has emerged as a papal contender. Cardinal Aveline, who is learning Italian, read his speech in 'perfect Italian,' Cardinal Ravasi said, adding, 'He only got two accents wrong.' Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo, 65, the archbishop of Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, also a potential candidate, made a 'finely tuned,' speech, Cardinal Ravasi said. During the conclave, the cardinals stay at the Casa Santa Marta, a guesthouse in the Vatican. Cardinal Domenico Calcagno, an Italian who was an elector for Francis but, at 82, is not voting this year, said in an interview on Thursday that lunches and dinners there can be decisive. 'At the table, you exchange opinions and assessments and you talk freely,' Cardinal Calcagno said. Except for Wednesday, when the first ballot took place, the cardinals participate in four rounds of voting every day — two in the morning and two in the afternoon — until a candidate achieves a two-thirds majority. The ballots are burned up to twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon, and smoke emitted from a purpose-built chimney above the Sistine Chapel signals the result — black smoke for no decision, white if a pope has been chosen. Cardinal Calcagno said that, in general, the first ballot is a 'dress rehearsal' to see which names might have a shot. After that, 'someone must let go of their first choice and move to someone else's choice,' he said. 'They assess the most-voted names, and based on that, they decide.' Cardinal Calcagno said that cardinals do not get a midmorning or a midafternoon break. 'It takes time to read the formula and take the oath,' he said. 'The last thing we need is a coffee break.' In the evening, while some of the cardinals decide to pray in the chapel, others walk around Casa Santa Marta and hang out with their peers. 'You can meet cardinals from other nations, whom you hadn't yet directly talked to, and get your thoughts straight,' Cardinal Calcagno said.
Sky News
21-02-2025
- Health
- Sky News
The Pope marks a week in hospital - as cardinal suggests he could resign
Pope Francis, who has been in hospital with an infection in both lungs, has had a good night, the Vatican said - as a cardinal suggested the pontiff could resign. In a brief update on his health, the Vatican said the 88-year-old got up and had breakfast following his seventh night at the Gemelli hospital in Rome, where he is being treated for double pneumonia. On Thursday, the Vatican said the Pope's overall condition was "improving slightly" and his heart is working well. 1:52 He was also reported to have worked from his hospital room with his aides after breakfast on Thursday. Millions of people around the world have been concerned for the Pope's increasingly frail health. Last Friday, the pontiff was admitted to hospital after struggling with breathing difficulties as a bout of bronchitis had worsened. The Pope has been diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs, on top of a polymicrobial infection in his respiratory tract, meaning a combination of bacteria, viral and other organisms. He is taking a combination of antibiotics and cortisone for what doctors also diagnosed as asthmatic bronchitis. 1:58 Amid speculation over whether the Pope, who has in the past hinted at a possible resignation over heath issues, will stay on as leader of the Catholic Church, Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi said Francis could choose to step down. Asked if he thought the Pope could choose to resign, he told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera: "I believe so. If he should have some serious struggles carrying out his service, he will make his choice." But the cardinal suggested the Pope may want to stay on for the Jubilee, taking place this year, as he feels it's his "great moment". Shortly after being elected pope in March 2013, Francis wrote a resignation letter in case medical issues stopped him from carrying out his duties, the Argentinian has previously confirmed. Pope Francis has a history of respiratory illness, having lost part of one of his lungs to pleurisy as a young man. He had an acute case of pneumonia in 2023 and is prone to respiratory infections in winter.
