Washington cardinal tells parishioners he has no idea who will be pope

ROME (CNS) — In a full church on a Monday evening in Rome, just two days before the conclave to elect a new pope was set to begin, Cardinal Robert W. McElroy of Washington shared a confidence: “I have no guess” who will be chosen.

Like many cardinals did the previous day, Cardinal McElroy celebrated Mass May 5 at his titular church in Rome, the Parish of St. Frumentius. Having the “title” to the parish made the cardinal a member of the clergy of Rome in a symbolic sense and connected him to ancient times when the cardinals who elected popes were pastors of the city’s parishes.

In the cardinal’s brief homily in Italian, he referred to the first reading, Acts 6:8-15, which recounts the accusations made against St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr.

In two days, the cardinal said, “the other cardinals and I will enter the conclave to elect a new bishop for this city that knew thousands and thousands of martyrs.”

“We pray that the new pope will lead people to a more profound faith and a closer relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit,” he said.

Father Marco Vianello, pastor of St. Frumentius, spoke at the end of Mass and, to applause, told Cardinal McElroy, “We cannot vote in the conclave. But if we could, we would vote for you.”

After 10 general congregation meetings of the College of Cardinals, when members discuss the needs of the church and the qualities the next pope should have, Cardinal McElroy said “it has become ever clearer to me how profound and mysterious this process is, to find a successor to Peter who meets the needs of the present.”

“I can give you no insights into who is ahead,” the cardinal continued. “Not because I cannot do so because of my promise, although I can’t, but because I have no guess.”

Cardinal McElroy told parishioners that entering the conclave to elect a new pope “is a tremendous responsibility and also a great mystery,” however, he guaranteed them that all the cardinals are committed to choosing the best new bishop for the Diocese of Rome and pastor of the universal church.

Turning to the three dozen teenagers seated in the last rows of the choir loft adjacent to the sanctuary, the cardinal said that love and concern for young people has been at the center of the cardinals’ prayers and “they are wrestling with what the church needs” to help them and all people feel at home in the church.

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