The New Pope Should Be a Point of Unity: Bolivian Bishops
The Sistine Chapel, Vatican City, 2025. X/ @clogherdiocese
May 6, 2025 Hour: 2:42 pm
Starting Wednesday, the Sistine Chapel will host a conclave in which 133 cardinals will seek the successor to Pope Francis.
On Tuesday, the Bolivian bishops expressed their hope that Pope Francis’ successor will serve as a “point of unity” both within and outside the Church.
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Aurelio Pesoa, the president of the Bolivian Bishops’ Conference (CEB), said that prayers have been requested “throughout the world” so that the cardinals participating in the conclave “open their minds and hearts,” and that “the Holy Spirit inspires them in the election of a new shepherd for the Church.”
“May they choose someone who will be a point of unity, who seeks reconciliation and dialogue not only within the Church, but also with the entire world,” Pesoa added at the conclusion of the CEB assembly held in the city of Cochabamba.
Starting Wednesday, the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican will host a conclave in which 133 cardinals will seek the successor to Pope Francis, who passed away on April 21 at the age of 88. Electing cardinals are those under the age of 80, while those older than 80 are considered emeritus bishops and no longer have “the authority to vote.” Bolivia will not be represented in the conclave, as its cardinal Toribio Porco, is 88 yo.
The Vatican’s regulations stipulate four rounds of voting per day, two in the morning and two in the afternoon. If after three days the cardinals have not reached an agreement, they will be granted a one-day break to reflect and speak among themselves.
The white smoke from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel will mark the end of the process and, shortly thereafter, the new pope will present himself to the world by appearing at the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica.
There are no official candidates in the conclave; rather, each cardinal elector votes for whomever they deem most suitable or convincing, although a few names stand out as heavyweights. Among those, based on rumors and some speculation, are Francis’ Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin; fellow Italians Matteo Zuppi and Pierbattista Pizzaballa; Filipino Luis Tagle; and U.S. Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost.
teleSUR/ JF
Source: EFE
