After Pope Francis was buried, all eyes turned to the conclave, the secret meeting of cardinals who will gather in a few days to elect a new head of the Catholic Church.
Along with world leaders and monarchs, it is estimated that around 400.000 people gathered on Saturday for the final farewell to the Argentine pope in the Vatican and on the streets of Rome.
The crowd is proof of Francis’ popularity, the energetic reformer who advocated for the poorest and most vulnerable.
Many of those mourning the late pope, who died on Monday at the age of 88, expressed concern about who will succeed him.
“He transformed the Church into something more normal, more human,” said Romina Cacciatore (48), an Argentine translator living in Italy.
“I am worried about what is coming.”
Today at 9 a.m., the cardinals will hold the fifth meeting since the pope’s death, at which they are expected to announce the date of the conclave.
The election of the pope, held behind closed doors in the fresco-painted Sistine Chapel, has been a subject of public fascination for centuries.
The cardinal electors will vote four times a day until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority, a result that is announced to the world by burning paper that releases white smoke.
Luxembourg Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich said last week that he expects the conclave to take place on May 5th or 6th, after the nine-day mourning period that ends on May 4th.
German Cardinal Reinhard Marx told reporters on Saturday that the conclave would last only “a few days.”
He left his mark
Francis’ funeral, held in St. Peter’s Square under strong spring sunshine, was a mixture of solemn ceremony and outpourings of emotion for the first Latin American pope.
A crowd is also expected on Sunday when the public can begin visiting his simple marble tomb in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, his favorite church in Rome.
Francis was buried in a niche of the church, becoming the first pope in over a century to be buried outside the Vatican.
In his funeral homily, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re emphasized the pope’s defense of migrants, his relentless calls for peace, and his belief that the Church is “a home for all.”
Many mourners expressed hope that the next pope would follow his example, in a time of widespread global conflict and growing right-wing populism.
“We are worried; we hope that the pope will continue on the foundations laid by Pope Francis,” said Evelyn Villalta, a 74-year-old from Guatemala.
“He was a pope who left a mark on our generation,” added Marine De Parcevaux, a 21-year-old French student who attended the mass.
Cardinal Marx said that the discussion about the next pope is open, adding: “It is not a question of conservatism or progressivism… the new pope must have a universal vision.”
We pray for ourselves
More than 220 out of 252 cardinals were at Saturday’s funeral, and they will gather again on Sunday afternoon in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore to pay tribute at Francis’ tomb.
Yesterday, a mass was held at St. Peter’s Basilica, led by Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State during Francis’ time and a leading candidate for the next pope.
Only cardinals under the age of 80 have the right to vote in the conclave, and currently, there are 135 of them – the majority appointed by Francis himself.
However, experts do not assume that they will choose someone like him.
Francis, the former Archbishop of Buenos Aires who loved being among his flock, was very different from his predecessor Benedict XVI, the German theologian who preferred books over kissing babies.
Benedict, in turn, was a significant change from his Polish predecessor, the charismatic, athletic, and extremely popular John Paul II.
Some cardinals have admitted to the weight of responsibility that lies before them in choosing the new leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
“We feel very small,” said Hollerich last week.
“We must make decisions for the entire Church, so we really have to pray for ourselves.”
