The Archbishop of Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea), Cardinal John Ribat, said Tuesday that the cardinals had been considering the necessary qualities for the next successor of Pedro; And, for him, a high level of personal holiness, as well as being a unifying figure, will be essential.
“Personal holiness is very important for the next Pope,” Cardinal Ribat told journalists when leaving the general congregation on Tuesday morning.
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“It must be someone open and with control, not in bad sense, but in a way that keeps us all together, walking together in unity,” he added.
When asked about the National Catholic Register about the main issues discussed at this morning, Cardinal Ribat explained that the approach focused on “Church Affairs” and “what Pope Francis did and also what we should be doing.” They were also mentioned, he said, issues related to “youth, other cultures, religions and things for which Pope Francis was working”, together with “synodality.”
Cardinal Ribat, 68, was one of the few cardinals willing to speak with the media when leaving the Puerta del Perugino. Passionate about social justice, the environment and ecumenismis the first cardinal of his country, created Cardinal by Pope Francis in 2016.
The cardinal said it was too soon to say what country the new Pope will probably be chosen. “We have not really discussed where we need the Pope to come,” said Cardinal Ribat. “That is still open,” he added, and recalled that a cardinal said: “We already have a Pope among us, but we don’t know who he is or where he comes from.”
Nor could he predict how long the conclave would last, saying that, of course, it depended on “if everyone is in favor of a candidate or many; we will have to decide.”
The sixth session
The general congregation of April 29 was the sixth session since the cardinals began last week. Congregations are meetings of all cardinals, voters and non -electors, where various issues are discussed. The Vatican reported that 183 Cardinals were present at the sixth session, including 124 voters. Some 20 cardinals took the floor.
After agreeing the logistics and the start date of the conclave last week, the general congregations have addressed important issues related to the current needs of the Church, the state of the curia and its work, and the challenges facing the Church, the world and the next Pope. They will continue until the start of the conclave, scheduled for May 7.
At a press conference on Tuesday, the Vatican spokesman, Matteo Bruni, said that the cardinals addressed issues related to the Church and the challenges he faces, offering reflections based on the perspectives of his continents and regions of origin, as well as the possible responses of the Church. Bruni also confirmed that Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu would obey the will of Pope Francis and would not participate in the conclave.
Following the tradition
The Vatican confirmed on Tuesday that the conclave will follow the same program as the previousFor choosing papa”(Mass for the election of the Pope), on May 7 at 10:00 in the Basilica of San Pedro.
The conclave will officially begin at 4:30 p.m. and, according to tradition, a prayer service will be held in the Paulina Chapel, which will be attended by the cardinals who will pray the Litanies of the Saints Before entering procession to the Sistine Chapel.
They will sing the I came Creator and then they will make their solemn oath to faithfully fulfill the Petrine office (“Petrino Ministry”) to be chosen any of them as Pope and keep absolute secret about the conclave.
Translated and adapted by the ACI Press team. Originally published in the National Catholic Register.
Edward Pentin
Edward Pentin is a collaborator of the National Catholic Register and Vaticanist of Ewtn News. He began informing about the Pope and the Vatican on Radio Vaticana before becoming a correspondent in Rome for Ewtn. He has also informed about the Holy See and the Catholic Church for several other publications, including Newsweek, Newsmax, Zenit, The Catholic Herald and The Holy Land Review, a Franciscan publication specialized in the Church and the Middle East.