Vatican, what happened inside?
The moment he reached the 89 votes needed to become pope, all 133 cardinals erupted in a standing ovation for Robert Prevost . When the ovation ended, the votes had to be counted again because some were still missing. The thing is, in the Sistine Chapel , many of the clerics are recording the vote count as the ballots are opened and the names are read. Going into the session that Thursday afternoon, they already knew that Prevost would be the new pope. Everything had been leaning in his favor during the two rounds of voting that morning. It was only a matter of time. And it wasn't long.
Now we know that while there were more cardinals, that didn't necessarily translate into more papal candidates. Francis democratized and expanded the Conclave, and in doing so, lowered the qualifications traditionally required to get there. Many of the cardinals, who came from remote places or where Catholicism is a mere token, have great histories of evangelization even under persecution, but they have no contact with the Curia ; perhaps they don't speak Italian, they aren't known in Rome, and they don't know almost anyone (they even showed up right in the pre-conclave). These are factors that weigh heavily. Milan and Paris, two of the great numerical reserves of Catholics, don't have a cardinal. But Mongolia, with 2,000 believers, does.
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We now know that, for this reason, the hardline wing of the cardinals never had any chance of pushing for a papacy that would retreat from the opening paths promoted by Pope Francis . They didn't have the numbers. They needed 45 to become some sort of supermajority opposition bloc. Not even close. Their best strategy was to push out from among the "liberal" papal candidates whoever seemed most acceptable to them.
We now know that in the days leading up to the Conclave, in the congregations of cardinals, the electors were sculpting the profile of the new pope : close to the people and committed to social issues, a good administrator and leader, and academically robust . Benedict, with overwhelming theological solidity and an urgently needed administrative order in the Church, lacked empathy. Francis, less adept at academics, made up for it with a fascinating charisma.
Now we know that the considered favorite, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, has no experience as a pastor , having always worked within the ecclesiastical bureaucratic elite. We now know that another of the most talked-about candidates, the Filipino Tagle, who excelled at connecting with the people, stumbled upon the administration of Caritas when Francis recruited him to work at the Vatican. On the other hand, they say Prevost has a check mark in every box. Furthermore, even those who didn't know anyone knew him: in Francis's cabinet, he was the powerful person in charge of evaluating candidates for bishop, so all the cardinals had to pass by his desk to lobby. And he gained a reputation for being a good left-handed candidate, for not abusing that enormous power. Furthermore, he had electoral experience: he had won the world leadership of the Augustinians by vote (and even reelection).
The new Pope has been able to interpret the role of bridge of unity entrusted to him by his constituents. He has already sent out the first signals: in his first public appearance, he wore the red papal mozzetta that drapes over his shoulders, but he didn't wear shoes of the same color (that is, halfway between Benedict and Francis); and he has already ordered the Apostolic Palace to be refurbished so he can live there again, supposedly without luxuries (again halfway). His first statement was in favor of peace. His first Sunday blessing was against war. But he must be careful not to stumble upon some unwanted statement that he will later have to retract.
SACIAMORBOS
It's intense politics, yes, it's ideology, geography, and sympathy, yes, but anyone who thinks there isn't an intangible ingredient that escapes reasoning is mistaken.
vanguardia
