The College of Cardinals on Wednesday called on Catholics around the world to pray for them as they prepare to enter the conclave next week to elect the next pope, acknowledging the “enormity of the task ahead” in choosing the next successor of Peter.
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The appeal came as the cardinals concluded their seventh general congregation — the daily meetings leading up to the start of the conclave on May 7.
In a statement released by the Holy See Press Office, the cardinals said they are “conscious of the responsibility to which they are called” and are relying on the prayers of the global Catholic community.
“This is the true force that in the Church promotes the unity of all the members of the one body of Christ,” the statement said, citing 1 Corinthians 12:12. “Faced with the enormity of the task ahead and the urgency of the present time, it is first of all necessary to make ourselves humble instruments of the infinite wisdom and providence of our heavenly Father, in docility to the action of the Holy Spirit.”
The cardinals emphasized the importance of listening to the Holy Spirit in their deliberations and asked that the Blessed Virgin Mary accompany their prayers “with her maternal intercession.”
Cardinal Becciu
The cardinals on Wednesday also addressed two procedural matters, including the number of electors and the role of Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu, who on Tuesday renounced his right to vote in the conclave.
Becciu, the former deputy secretary of state, had previously insisted on his right to vote but stepped aside “to contribute to the communion and serenity of the conclave,” according to the Vatican statement.
The college expressed appreciation for his decision and said it hoped “the competent organs of justice will be able to definitively ascertain the facts.”
Becciu resigned his cardinal privileges in 2020 amid accusations of financial misconduct and was convicted in December 2023 of embezzlement, aggravated fraud, and abuse of office. He has denied all wrongdoing and is appealing his conviction.
More than 120 cardinal electors
The cardinals also confirmed that Pope Francis had lawfully dispensed with the numerical limit of 120 electors previously established by St. John Paul II’s 1996 apostolic constitution Universi Dominici Gregis. While the document’s paragraph 33 capped the number of cardinal electors at 120, paragraph 36 of the constitution affirms that “a cardinal of holy Roman Church who has been created and published before the College of Cardinals thereby has the right to elect the pope.”
The college noted that Pope Francis, in the exercise of his supreme authority, had created more than 120 cardinal electors, and those over the threshold may validly vote. The same precedent was set under Pope John Paul II, who in February 2001 allowed the number of cardinal electors to reach 135.
As of now, 133 cardinal electors — those under the age of 80 — are expected to participate in the conclave. The Vatican confirmed Tuesday that two of the 135 eligible cardinal electors will not attend due to health reasons, though their names were not released at the time.
Cardinals discuss Vatican finances
The general congregation began at 9 a.m. on April 30 with 124 cardinal electors present. In the first part of the morning, the economic and financial situation of the Holy See was discussed.
Cardinal Reinhard Marx presented challenges and proposals from the perspective of sustainability. Cardinal Kevin Farrell spoke about the Holy See’s investment activity, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn spoke about the situation of the Vatican Bank, Cardinal Fernando Vergez about the activities of the Governorate, and Cardinal Konrad Krajewski spoke about the Dicastery for Charity.
Fourteen other cardinals delivered interventions during the congregation touching on themes including the ecclesiology of the people of God, synodality and episcopal collegiality, vocations, and evangelization, according to the Vatican.
The meeting ended at 12:30 p.m. with the prayer of the Regina Coeli.
A time of discernment
As the conclave approaches, the cardinals have emphasized that this is a time of grace and discernment for the Church.
“The College of Cardinals gathered in Rome, engaged in the general congregations in preparation for the conclave, wishes to invite the people of God to live this ecclesial moment as an event of grace and spiritual discernment, listening to the will of God,” the statement read.
“Indeed, [the Holy Spirit] is the protagonist of the life of the people of God, the One to whom we must listen, accepting what he is saying to the Church (cf. Rev 3:6).”
The conclave will begin on May 7 in the Sistine Chapel with the cardinals voting in daily ballots until one man receives a two-thirds majority.
This article was originally published on Catholic News Agency.
