Latest news with #Jean-ClaudeHollerich
Al Etihad
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Al Etihad
Crowds flock to Pope Francis tomb, as eyes turn to conclave
27 Apr 2025 18:45 Vatican City (AFP)Pope Francis's modest tomb drew massive queues on the first day of public viewing in Rome on Sunday, a day after an estimated 400,000 people turned out for his funeral and flocked to Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica -- Francis's final resting place -- in another testament to the popularity of the Argentinian, who died aged 88 on Monday. An energetic reformer who championed the poorest and most vulnerable, Francis is credited with reinvigorating the Catholic Church's appeal with his open, welcoming stance. All eyes turn now to the conclave, the secretive meeting of cardinals set to convene within days to elect a new of those mourning the late pope expressed anxiety as to who will be chosen to lead the Church Monday morning, cardinals will hold their fifth general meeting since the pope's death, at which they are expected to pick a date for the at the secret vote will cast four votes per day until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority, a result broadcast to the waiting world by burning papers that emit white Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich said last week he expected the conclave to take place on May 5 or 6 -- shortly after the nine days of papal mourning, which ends on May Cardinal Reinhard Marx told reporters on Saturday the conclave would last just "a few days". 'Very emotional' Francis's funeral was held in St Peter's Square in the Vatican in bright spring sunshine, a mix of solemn ceremony and an outpouring of emotion for the Church's first Latin American was then buried in an alcove of Santa Maria Maggiore, his favourite Rome church, becoming the first pope in more than a century to be interred outside the Vatican.A couple of hours after opening, the large basilica was heaving, the crowds periodically shushed over than 10,000 people had filed past the tomb by midday, Italian media the mourners were pilgrims and Catholic youth groups who had planned to attend the Sunday canonisation of Carlo Acutis, which was postponed after Francis to Sunday was also the Jubilee of Adolescents, one of a series of events drawing millions to Rome to celebrate the Catholic Holy of the mourners expressed hope that the next pope would follow Francis's example, at a time of widespread global conflict and growing hard-right Marx said the debate over the next pope was open, adding: "It's not a question of being conservative or progressive... The new pope must have a universal vision." 'Whole world present' Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin -- who was secretary of state under Francis and is a front-runner to become the next pope -- led a mass on Sunday morning in St Peter's Square, which drew 200,000 people according to the Vatican. Many were part of Jubilee youth groups from across the globe. "(Francis) would have liked to meet you, to look into your eyes and to pass among you to greet you," he told them. "With you here, the whole world is truly present", he said, to than 220 of the Church's 252 cardinals were at Saturday's funeral. They will gather again on Sunday afternoon at Santa Maria Maggiore to pay their respects at Francis's cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to vote in the conclave. There are 135 currently eligible -- most of whom Francis appointed a former archbishop of Buenos Aires who loved being among his flock, was a very different character to his predecessor Benedict XVI, a German cardinals have admitted the weight of the responsibility that faces them in choosing a new head of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics. "We feel very small," Hollerich said last week. "We have to make decisions for the whole Church, so we really need to pray for ourselves."
NDTV
27-04-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Abuse Scandals, Disunity And Diplomacy The New Pope's Challenges
Vatican City: Pope Francis's successor will face a litany of challenges, from the place of women and the LGBTQ community in the Catholic Church, to diplomatic challenges in a conflict-riven world. Unity Uniting a divided church will be one of the main tasks facing the new pope. During his 12-year-long papacy, Francis often came under fire for his more liberal policies, such as welcoming migrants and restricting the use of the Latin Mass. Traditionalists in the United States and Africa in particular were angered by his efforts to give lay people and women a greater role in the Church, and his decision to open the door to blessing same-sex unions. His successor will have to make peace between the Church's conservative and liberal fringes. "A pope always brings people together," Luxembourger Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich told reporters. "That unity in the church will be very important. But you don't unify the church by going backwards." Sexual Abuse Though he brought in a series of measures to combat clerical sexual abuse, victims associations said they were disappointed with Francis, accusing him of not doing enough. The issue remains a major challenge for the Church, with the scandals showing no sign of abating. And it will not be an easy solve. In many African and Asian countries, the subject remains taboo. Even in Europe, Italy has yet to launch an independent investigation into abuse allegations. Diplomacy As well as being leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, the pope is the head of the Vatican state. His voice carries weight in a world wracked by numerous conflicts, from Ukraine to Gaza and Sudan. The pope's opinions have consequences. Francis at various times angered Israel, Ukraine, Russia and the United States with his comments on conflicts and immigrants. The rise of populist politics, the development of artificial intelligence and the climate emergency are all issues that will demand the pope's attention, as will immigration. And then there are the delicate relations with China, not least the thorny issue of appointing Catholic bishops in the country. Women's Place The place of women in the Church will also continue to spark debate. Francis appointed women to key positions, including in January naming the first woman prefect of a Curia department. Hopes that a woman would be named a deacon were dashed, however, at the last world assembly. "The role of women certainly depends to a large degree on the cultures the churches belong to and there are many differences, not just from one continent to another, but from one nation to another," Roberto Regoli, a priest and professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, told AFP. "So it's more a cultural than theological question." Fewer Priests Francis's successor will lead Catholics living in communities around the world. The number of faithful is growing in the southern hemisphere but it is declining in Europe. And the total number of priests spreading the faith is falling -- albeit slowly. Between 2022 and 2023, the number of priests around the world dropped by 0.2 percent to 406,996, despite an uptick in Africa and Asia. Though church attendance is different from one region to another, the rise of evangelical churches, particularly in Africa, is creating stiff competition. Style Francis ripped up the rulebook, rejecting luxury, and was at his happiest when mingling with his flock. He refused to live in the papal apartments, opting for rooms at a Vatican guest house instead. He would make his own phone calls, visit the optician, write his own replies to letters, and accept mate -- the traditional herbal infusion from South America -- offered to him by pilgrims. But he also faced criticism for an authoritarian management style as well as his tendency to speak his mind and go off script, sometimes embarrassing or dismaying aides with his public statements. While the next pope will hope to show he too is a people's pontiff, the Vatican would doubtless appreciate a Catholic leader better at sticking to the official line.
