OAN Staff James Meyers
12:06 PM – Monday, April 28, 2025
On Monday, Catholic Cardinals announced that the conclave to elect Pope Francis’ successor will commence on May 7th, postponing the start of voting by two days to allow for extended discussions regarding the merits of potential candidates.
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The Cardinals set the date after arriving for the first day of informal meetings following Pope Francis’ funeral on Saturday.
“There is the hope of unity,” said Argentine Cardinal Ángel Sixto Rossi, the 66-year-old archbishop of Cordoba who was made a cardinal by Francis in 2023.
Conservative Cardinals might lean toward focusing the church back to its more traditional core doctrines, emphasized by St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, rather than continuing Francis’ social justice focus and outreach to the LGBTQ community. On the other hand, if the Roman Catholic Church chooses to continue shifting away from its traditional values, Catholics could also see an even more “progressive” Pope elected.
British Cardinal Vincent Nichols was emphatic that the church should be looking for unity.
“The role of the pope is to essentially hold us together and that’s the grace we’ve been given from God,” said Nichols.
Additionally, Venezuelan Cardinal Baltazar Enrique Porras Cardozo expressed confidence that once the conclave begins its process, a decision would be quick, estimating “between two and three days.”
The College of Cardinals to elect a new Pope includes members from across the globe whom Francis had named over his 12-year span.
Nichols stated that the 135 Cardinal electors — 108 of whom were appointed by Pope Francis — are not familiar with one another. The last 20 were appointed in December.
“We’ve got all week,” Nichols said as he arrived on Monday.
Only Cardinals under 80 are eligible to vote, and it’s still unclear how many of the 135 will participate.
On Monday morning, journalists and reporters were scouring St. Peter’s Square, looking for comments from other Cardinals about the upcoming vote. Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi joked that he was “holding his breath” as the microphones and cameras surrounded him — all the way to the Vatican gate.
Rossi, the Argentine cardinal, noted that he hoped that Francis’ message of “mercy, closeness, charity, tenderness and faith” would accompany them in finding a successor.
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