Ultraconservative cardinals advocate a return to Latin Mass with ‘the priest facing away from the congregation.’

With less than 48 hours until the ceremony to select Pope Francis’s successor begins, transnational ultraconservative movements are allegedly attempting to influence the outcome of the Conclave, which will take place in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican.

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Brazilian philosopher and environmentalist Leonardo Boff—widely regarded as one of the founders of Liberation Theology in Latin America—said there are hopes the new pope will come from the Global South.

“European Christianity is in agony. Churches are closing because no one attends. In contrast, the Americas are seeing the rise of a new, source-driven Christianity that is no longer a mirror of Europe. After more than 500 years of Christian presence, new faces have emerged among the faithful: bishops who live among the people rather than in palaces, priests serving in the peripheries, lay movements asserting autonomy, and many nuns living deep in the Amazon,” he stated.

Among the leading contenders for the papacy, Boff highlighted Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila, describing him as “fully aligned with Pope Francis’s vision of a Church that is poor and for the poor.” He also pointed to Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, saying, “He lives in a Christian community, rides his bicycle to the palace, and is a strong advocate for the marginalized and a Church for all, free of discrimination.”

Boff named another possible successor in Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State and a close ally of Francis. “He is somewhat conservative in doctrine but entirely open to a Church that addresses the challenges of this new planetary phase,” Boff said and warned the faithful not to be “naive,” citing deep internal conflicts within the Catholic Church.

“The Conclave is also about power,” he said. “There are ultraconservatives—like Cardinals Robert Sarah of Guinea, Leo Burke of the U.S., and Gerhard Müller of Germany—who promote an extremely conservative Church, a true cistern of stagnant water.”

These cardinals reject the reforms implemented by Pope Francis, seek to marginalize women, and advocate a return to Latin Mass “with the priest facing away from the congregation.”

Boff also warned of the alleged influence of a group called “Red Hat Report,” which he described as a conspiratorial network funded by U.S. ultraconservatives and wealthy figures including Donald Trump.

“This network reportedly uses the CIA and FBI to collect personal information on progressive cardinals in an attempt to manipulate and compromise the Conclave. Their goal is to prevent the election of a progressive pope who would challenge the current government’s direction, and instead install a conservative leader aligned with authoritarian policies.”

According to Boff, the College of Cardinals includes various ideological currents. Some are progressive and embrace modernity, while others are more critical, wary of what they see as modern ideas that conflict with traditional Christian values.

Still others, he said, are committed to Pope Francis’s legacy—advocating for the poor, supporting more flexible moral positions on issues such as divorce, welcoming people with diverse sexual orientations, and engaging in dialogue with all sectors of society.

If no consensus emerges among these factions, Boff said, the cardinals may choose “someone more discreet” who can mediate among the various camps.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: LB

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