Rome is awash with fragrant jasmine blooms and a tourist influx, but behind the lively city scene, cardinals congregate for a more subdued but important mission: choosing a replacement for Pope Francis. The private dinners, coffee sessions, and casual meetings punctuate these days before the May 7 conclave as the cardinals confer on who is to be the next leader of the Catholic Church.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols, archbishop of Westminster, gives an insider’s view of these days before the conclave. “We’re of quite different styles,” Nichols said, referring to his own more reserved approach compared to his predecessor, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor. Despite his quieter demeanor, Nichols plays an active role in these pre-conclave discussions.
Cardinals gather every morning at the Vatican to discuss the Church’s needs and the qualifications of the next pope. Although the conclave will be limited to cardinals under 80 years old, the morning meetings are available to everyone, even those 80 or older. Following morning sessions, cardinals have free afternoons and are usually spotted going for a walk or having a meal outside.
The Search for the Next Pope
As Nichols observes the candidacy landscape, he notes that the cardinals are looking for someone who, in their manner, expresses deep faith and openness. “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,” he said.
Looking back on Pope Francis’ 12-year papacy, Nichols believes that the next pope needs to expand on Francis’ reforms but remain focused on issues like poverty, caring for the planet, and human dignity.
The Influence of Past Papacies
Nichols, whom Pope Benedict XVI appointed as the archbishop of Westminster in 2009 and subsequently a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2014, believes that the incoming pope must impart continuity to reforms begun by Francis. “There’s a perception that the ideas that this man of such individuality pursued, they likely need to be grounded a bit further to provide stability and clear continuity,” Nichols described.
Cardinals acknowledge that there needs to be stability and continuity, so that the changes initiated by Francis do not remain merely the vision of a charismatic individual but become an essential part of the mission of the Church.
Team Bergoglio’s Strategic Push in 2013
During 2013, before the papal conclave which eventually elected Francis, there was a team of reformist cardinals known as “Team Bergoglio” that lobbied on behalf of Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio. They had attempted in the 2005 conclave to advance Bergoglio’s candidacy but were unsuccessful. By 2013, they were resolute, gathering in informal environments in order to garner votes for Bergoglio.
As Austen Ivereigh, author of The Great Reformer, describes it, Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor and the rest of Team Bergoglio went behind the scenes, talking Bergoglio’s prospects at numerous dinner parties to build up enough votes for him to become a viable candidate.
Nichols, in contrast to his predecessors, is not campaigning for a particular candidate. “For me, it’s no good going into a conclave thinking it’s like a political election and I want my side to win,” Nichols said. Rather, he goes into the conclave with an open mind, willing to listen and alter his thinking based on what is discussed.
“I am going to enter for sure in my own mind but open to altering them, to listen and perhaps attempt to persuade others to alter theirs as well,” Nichols explained, echoing the collective and deliberative process that will occur as the cardinals make ready to elect the next pope.
