Latest news with #VenerableEnglishCollege
Sky News
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Conclave live: Cardinals locked inside Sistine Chapel for next round of voting
Some of the experts and guests we've had on Sky News have used the phrase "moving day". It touches on the intricate dynamics of the secretive voting process and how it unfolds in real time, with frontrunners rising and falling. In short, "moving day" refers to how the cardinals' votes move from one candidate to another as the successive ballots show where support is coalescing and where it is thinner. Here Sky News commentator Alastair Bruce and Father Stephen Wang, rector of the Venerable English College in Rome, explain this key part of the voting process. Momentum reaching critical mass? Bruce says: "There are people who are heavily promoted at the beginning and do well, and yet they don't quite have the impetus to get to the top. "What can happen is a lesser-known name can do increasingly well and votes spill off the ones who were doing well at the beginning and suddenly the lesser-known cardinal gets momentum. "What tends to happen is about now we tend to see who is getting momentum. "This afternoon should solve that. The momentum may reach a result, it may not. "If it doesn't by tonight, I expect by tomorrow morning... after a good breakfast, we might see a result." 'Very important shifts behind the scenes' Father Wang adds to this, saying: "It's a very interesting time in the process for the cardinals, after the third ballot. "Let's just say, for example, I had someone I was convinced of, and I may have voted for him three times now, and I'm seeing he's getting four or five votes, but it's not going up. "It's not realistic he's going to have enough consensus around him from other cardinals, this is just the moment I might be thinking I need to let go of my first choice and look at the others who have a bit more momentum and support them. "There will be some very important shifts going on behind the scenes now."
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Conclave: Cardinals face a 'big call' on next pope
The leader of the Roman Catholic church in England and Wales has said he and his fellow cardinals face a "big call" as the secret voting process to elect a new pope begins. Cardinal Vincent Nichols is one of more than 130 electors who will be meet in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel during the conclave, with no contact with the outside world until they have chosen the next pontiff. The Merseyside-born Archbishop of Westminster said he had been "getting to know" his fellow cardinals as many of them had never met before. He said he felt "quite intimidated" knowing that the outcome of the election was "awaited by people all over the world and of many faiths". The conclave - which is Latin for locked room - begins in the afternoon with each each cardinal taking an oath of secrecy. Only those under the age of 80 are permitted to vote in the ceremony. The results of the vote are then conveyed to the outside world with the release of smoke, with black denoting no consensus and white confirming the election of a new pope. Archbishop Nichols was made a cardinal by Pope Francis [EPA] Cardinal Nichols said the cardinals will have met "almost ten times" before the conclave in a series of meetings known as the Congregation of Cardinals. The 79-year-old said there had been long meetings, "during which we have been very attentive to the contributions from cardinals across the world". The cardinals sleep in the five-storey guesthouse Casa de Santa Marta, close to St Peter's Basilica in Vactican City. It was built by Pope John Paul II in 1996 especially to house cardinals during the conclave and was where Pope Francis decided to live after his election in 2013. Crosby-born Cardinal Nichols has been in staying in the Catholic seminary the Venerable English College in Rome since shortly after the death of Pope Francis in April. Unlike other popes, the late pontiff gave his cardinals few opportunities to meet as a group, so with more cardinals from Africa and Asia than previous conclaves, they have been trying to get acquainted. "During these days we have got to know each other and to appreciate the variety of gifts, insights and dedication among us," he said. "It is a truly universal church and a reflection of the breadth and diversity of human experience. "I feel quite intimidated knowing that the outcome of this election is awaited by people all over the world and of many faiths." He said the "voice of the pope, especially following Pope Francis, can serve as a call to everyone to fashion a society more fitting to the dignity of every human". "That is a big call," he said. He said the cardinals were entering the conclave "in a profound spirit of prayer and attentive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, who will, I am sure, guide our decisions". He added that he hoped "Catholics and indeed all people will say a prayer asking for God's blessing at this important moment". He has previously ruled himself out of the running to be the next pontiff, describing himself as "too old, not capable". Cardinal Nichols is one of five cardinals across the UK and Ireland, although only three Englishmen - himself, Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe and Rome-based Cardinal Arthur Roche - who are younger than the voting age limit of 80. More on this story
Los Angeles Times
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Dinner parties, listening and lobbying. What goes on behind closed doors to elect a pope
ROME — Rome is bustling with jasmine blooming and tourists swarming. But behind closed doors, these are the days of dinner parties, coffee klatches and private meetings as cardinals in town to elect a successor to Pope Francis suss out who among them has the stuff to be next. It was in this period of pre-conclave huddling in March of 2013 that Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the retired archbishop of Westminster, and other reform-minded Europeans began pushing the candidacy of an Argentine Jesuit named Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Their dinner-table lobbying worked, and Pope Francis won on the fifth ballot. Cardinal Vincent Nichols may have inherited Murphy-O'Connor's position as archbishop of Westminster. But he's not taking on the job as the front-man papal lobbyist in these days of canvassing of cardinals to try to identify whom among them should be the next pope. 'We're of quite different styles,' Nichols said Friday, chuckling during an interview in the Venerable English College, the storied British seminary in downtown Rome where Nichols studied in the 1960s. 'Cardinal Cormac would love to be at the center of the party. I'm a little more reserved than that and a little bit more introverted.' Nevertheless, Nichols, 79, provided an insider's view of what's going on among his fellow cardinal-electors, between meals of Rome's famous carbonara — as they get to know one another. They all descended on Rome to bid farewell to the pope and are now meeting informally before the start of the conclave on Wednesday. Nichols says he is spending these days, before he and his fellow cardinals are sequestered, listening. The routine calls for cardinals to meet each morning in a Vatican auditorium to discuss the needs of the Roman Catholic Church and the type of person who can lead it. These meetings are open to all cardinals, including those over 80, while the conclave itself in the Sistine Chapel is limited to cardinals who haven't yet reached 80. With the exception of an afternoon Mass — part of the nine days of official mourning for Francis — the rest of the day is free. Cardinals have been seen around town taking walks or eating out, trying to remain incognito. Nichols said a picture of the future pope is beginning to emerge, at least in his mind, as cardinals look back at Francis' 12-year pontificate and see where to go from here. 'I suppose we're looking for somebody who even in their manner not only expresses the depth of the faith, but also its openness,' said Nichols. Pope Benedict XVI named Nichols archbishop of Westminster in 2009, but he didn't become a cardinal until 2014, when Francis tapped him in his first batch of cardinals. Francis went on to name Nichols as a member of several important Vatican offices, including the powerful Dicastery for Bishops, which vets bishop nominations around the world. 'My experience so far, to be quite honest with you, is there's a lot of attentive listening,' Nichols said. 'That's listening to the people who might have an idea today of who they think is the best candidate, and I wouldn't be surprised if by Monday they might have changed their mind.' Nichols said the picture that is emerging is one of seeing Francis' pontificate in continuity with the more doctrinaire papacies of St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI, and of appreciating the multicultural reality of the Catholic Church today. Francis greatly expanded the College of Cardinals to include cardinals from far-flung places like Tonga and Mongolia, rather than the traditional centers of European Catholicism. Yes, divisions and disagreements have been aired. 'But I can never remember a time when Catholics all agreed about everything,' Nichols said. 'We're not a boys' brigade that marches in step.' But he said he sensed that cardinals believe Francis' reforming papacy and radical call to prioritize the poor and marginalized, to care for the planet and all its people, needed further consolidating with another papacy. 'There's a sense that the initiatives that this man of such originality took, they probably do need rooting a bit more to give them that stability and evident continuity,' Nichols said. 'So that these aren't just the ideas of one person, one charismatic person, but they are actually consistently part of how the church reflects on humanity, our own humanity and our world.' In his book 'The Great Reformer,' Francis' biographer Austen Ivereigh described the 2013 conclave and how Nichols' predecessor, Murphy-O'Connor, and other reform-minded Europeans seized the opportunity to push Bergoglio after it was clear the Italians were fighting among themselves over the Italian candidate. 'Team Bergoglio,' as these reform-minded cardinals came to be known, had tried to talk up Bergoglio in the 2005 conclave, but failed to get their man through after Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger's momentum grew and Bergoglio bowed out — leading to the papacy of Benedict XVI. In 2013, with many too old to vote in the conclave, Team Bergoglio talked up the Argentine at dinner parties around Rome in the days before voting began. The aim was to ensure Bergoglio could secure at least 25 votes on the first ballot to establish himself as a serious candidate, the book said. 'The Great Reformer' recounts a dinner party at the North American College, the U.S. seminary in Rome, on March 5, 2013, to which Murphy-O'Connor and Australian Cardinal George Pell were invited and where the British cardinal talked up the qualities of a possible first Latin American pope. 'He held a number of these dinners, and I think there were a few of them involved, a few who had grown convinced that Bergoglio was what the church needed,' Ivereigh said Friday. Nichols doesn't have any such calculations or preferred candidate, at least that he is willing to share. 'For me, it's no good going into a conclave thinking it's like a political election and I want my side to win. I'm not going to do that,' he said. 'I'm going to go in certainly with my own thoughts but ready to change them, to listen and maybe try and persuade others to change theirs too.' Winfield writes for the Associated Press.
CNA
03-05-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Dinner parties, listening and lobbying. How does the pope get elected
ROME: Rome is bustling with jasmine blooming and tourists swarming, but behind closed doors, these are the days of dinner parties, coffee klatches and private meetings as cardinals in town to elect a successor to Pope Francis suss out who among them has the stuff to be next. It was in this period of pre-conclave huddling in March of 2013 that Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the retired archbishop of Westminster, and other reform-minded Europeans began pushing the candidacy of an Argentine Jesuit named Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Their dinner table lobbying worked, and Pope Francis won on the fifth ballot. Cardinal Vincent Nichols may have inherited Murphy-O'Connor's position as archbishop of Westminster, but he's not taking on the job as the front-man papal lobbyist in these days of canvassing of cardinals to try to identify who among them should be the next pope. 'We're of quite different styles,' Nichols said Friday, chuckling during an interview in the Venerable English College, the storied British seminary in downtown Rome where he studied in the 1960s. 'Cardinal Cormac would love to be at the centre of the party. I'm a little more reserved than that and a little bit more introverted". Nevertheless, Nichols, 79, provided an insiders' view of what's going on among his fellow cardinal-electors — between meals of Rome's famous carbonara — as they get to know one another after bidding farewell to the pope who made 108 of them 'princes of the church". Nichols says he is spending these days before his first conclave listening, as cardinals meet each morning in a Vatican auditorium to discuss the needs of the Catholic Church and the type of person who can lead it. These meetings are open to all cardinals, including those over 80, while the conclave itself in the Sistine Chapel is limited to cardinals who haven't yet reached 80. "Not a boys' brigade that marches in step" Nichols said a picture of the future pope is beginning to form, at least in his mind, as cardinals look back at Francis' 12-year pontificate and see where to go from here when they begin voting on Wednesday. 'I suppose we're looking for somebody who even in their manner, not only expresses the depth of the faith, but also its openness as well,' said Nichols. Pope Benedict XVI named Nichols archbishop of Westminster in 2009, but he did not become a cardinal until 2014, when Francis tapped him in his first batch of cardinals. Francis went on to name Nichols as a member of several important Vatican offices, including the powerful dicastery for bishops, which vets bishop nominations around the world. 'My experience so far, to be quite honest with you, is there's a lot of attentive listening,' Nichols said. 'That's listening to the people who might have an idea today of who they think is the best candidate, and I wouldn't be surprised if by Monday they might have changed their mind". Nichols said the picture that is emerging is of seeing Francis' pontificate in continuity with the more doctrinaire papacies of St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI, and of appreciating the multicultural reality of the Catholic Church today. Francis greatly expanded the College of Cardinals to include cardinals from far-flung places like Tonga and Mongolia, rather than just the traditional centres of European Catholicism. Yes, divisions and disagreements have been aired. 'But I can never remember a time when Catholics all agreed about everything,' Nichols said. 'We're not a boys' brigade that marches in step.' But he said he sensed that cardinals believe Francis' reforming papacy and radical call to prioritise the poor and marginalised, to care for the planet and all its people, needed further consolidating with another papacy. 'There's a sense that the initiatives that this man of such originality took, they probably do need rooting a bit more to give them that stability and evident continuity,' Nichols said. 'So that these aren't just the ideas of one person, one charismatic person, but they are actually consistently part of how the church reflects on humanity, our own humanity and our world". "Team Bergoglio" In his book 'The Great Reformer,' Francis' biographer Austen Ivereigh described the 2013 election of Francis and how Nichols' predecessor, Murphy-O'Connor and other reform-minded Europeans within the College of Cardinals seized the opportunity to push Bergoglio after it was clear the Italians were fighting among themselves over the Italian candidate, splitting their vote. 'Team Bergoglio,' as these reform-minded cardinals came to be known, had tried to talk up Bergoglio in the 2005 conclave, but failed to get their man through after Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger's momentum grew and Bergoglio bowed out. In 2013, with many too old to vote in the conclave itself, 'Team Bergoglio' talked up the Argentine at dinner parties around Rome in the days before the conclave to try to ensure the Argentine could secure at least 25 votes on the first ballot to establish himself as a serious candidate, the book said. 'The Great Reformer' recounts a dinner party at the North American College, the US seminary in Rome, on March 5, 2013 to which Murphy-O'Connor and Australian Cardinal George Pell were invited and where the British cardinal talked up Bergoglio's name. 'He held a number of these dinners, and I think there were a few of them involved, a few who had grown convinced that Bergoglio was what the church needed,' Ivereigh said Friday. Nichols doesn't have any such calculations or candidate, at least that he is willing to divulge. 'For me, it's no good going into a conclave thinking it's like a political election and I want my side to win. I'm not going to do that,' he said. 'I'm going to go in certainly with my own thoughts but ready to change them, to listen and maybe try and persuade others to change theirs too".
NDTV
03-05-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Dinner Parties, Lobbying. What Goes On Behind Closed Doors To Elect Pope
Rome: Rome is bustling with jasmine blooming and tourists swarming. But behind closed doors, these are the days of dinner parties, coffee klatches and private meetings as cardinals in town to elect a successor to Pope Francis suss out who among them has the stuff to be next. It was in this period of pre-conclave huddling in March of 2013 that Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the retired archbishop of Westminster, and other reform-minded Europeans began pushing the candidacy of an Argentine Jesuit named Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Their dinner table lobbying worked and Pope Francis won on the fifth ballot. Cardinal Vincent Nichols may have inherited Murphy-O'Connor's position as archbishop of Westminster. But he's not taking on the job as the front-man papal lobbyist in these days of canvassing of cardinals to try to identify who among them should be the next pope. "We're of quite different styles," Nichols said Friday, chuckling during an interview in the Venerable English College, the storied British seminary in downtown Rome where Nichols studied in the 1960s. "Cardinal Cormac would love to be at the center of the party. I'm a little more reserved than that and a little bit more introverted." Nevertheless, Nichols, 79, provided an insider's view of what's going on among his fellow cardinal-electors, between meals of Rome's famous carbonara - as they get to know one another. They all descended on Rome to bid farewell to the pope and are now meeting informally before the start of the May 7 conclave. Nichols says he is spending these days before he and his fellow cardinals are sequestered listening. The routine calls for cardinals to meet each morning in a Vatican auditorium to discuss the needs of the Catholic Church and the type of person who can lead it. These meetings are open to all cardinals, including those over 80, while the conclave itself in the Sistine Chapel is limited to cardinals who haven't yet reached 80. With the exception of an afternoon Mass - part of the nine days of official mourning for Francis - the rest of the day is free. Cardinals have been seen around town taking walks or eating out, trying to remain incognito. 'Not A Boys' Brigade That Marches In Step' Nichols said a picture of the future pope is beginning to emerge, at least in his mind, as cardinals look back at Francis' 12-year pontificate and see where to go from here. "I suppose we're looking for somebody who even in their manner not only expresses the depth of the faith, but also its openness as well," said Nichols. Pope Benedict XVI named Nichols archbishop of Westminster in 2009, but he didn't become a cardinal until 2014, when Francis tapped him in his first batch of cardinals. Francis went on to name Nichols as a member of several important Vatican offices, including the powerful dicastery for bishops, which vets bishop nominations around the world. "My experience so far, to be quite honest with you, is there's a lot of attentive listening," Nichols said. "That's listening to the people who might have an idea today of who they think is the best candidate, and I wouldn't be surprised if by Monday they might have changed their mind." Nichols said the picture that is emerging is of seeing Francis' pontificate in continuity with the more doctrinaire papacies of St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI, and of appreciating the multicultural reality of the Catholic Church today. Francis greatly expanded the College of Cardinals to include cardinals from far-flung places like Tonga and Mongolia, rather than the traditional centers of European Catholicism. Yes, divisions and disagreements have been aired. "But I can never remember a time when Catholics all agreed about everything," Nichols said. "We're not a boys' brigade that marches in step." But he said he sensed that cardinals believe Francis' reforming papacy and radical call to prioritize the poor and marginalized, to care for the planet and all its people, needed further consolidating with another papacy. "There's a sense that the initiatives that this man of such originality took, they probably do need rooting a bit more to give them that stability and evident continuity," Nichols said. "So that these aren't just the ideas of one person, one charismatic person, but they are actually consistently part of how the church reflects on humanity, our own humanity and our world." 'Team Bergoglio' In his book "The Great Reformer," Francis' biographer Austen Ivereigh described the 2013 conclave and how Nichols' predecessor, Murphy-O'Connor and other reform-minded Europeans seized the opportunity to push Bergoglio after it was clear the Italians were fighting among themselves over the Italian candidate. "Team Bergoglio," as these reform-minded cardinals came to be known, had tried to talk up Bergoglio in the 2005 conclave, but failed to get their man through after Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger's momentum grew and Bergoglio bowed out. In 2013, with many too old to vote in the conclave itself, "Team Bergoglio" talked up the Argentine at dinner parties around Rome in the days before the conclave. The aim was to ensure Bergoglio could secure at least 25 votes on the first ballot to establish himself as a serious candidate, the book said. "The Great Reformer" recounts a dinner party at the North American College, the U.S. seminary in Rome, on March 5, 2013 to which Murphy-O'Connor and Australian Cardinal George Pell were invited and where the British cardinal talked up the qualities of a possible first Latin American pope. "He held a number of these dinners, and I think there were a few of them involved, a few who had grown convinced that Bergoglio was what the church needed," Ivereigh said Friday. Nichols doesn't have any such calculations or preferred candidate, at least that he is willing to share. "For me, it's no good going into a conclave thinking it's like a political election and I want my side to win. I'm not going to do that," he said. "I'm going to go in certainly with my own thoughts but ready to change them, to listen and maybe try and persuade others to change theirs too."
