HOME > INQUIRER > Article

Text Size

small

medium

large


Cardinal David: Conclave not ‘worldly spectacle’

Cardinal David: Conclave not ‘worldly spectacle’

Provided by Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Filipino cardinals Luis Antonio Tagle, Orlando Quevedo, Jose Advincula, and Pablo Virgilio David pose at the Pontificio Collegio Filippino, home of Filipino priests in Rome, after Pope Francis' funeral Mass on Saturday. PHOTO BY CARDINAL ORLANDO QUEVEDO
Filipino cardinals (from left) Luis Antonio Tagle, Orlando Quevedo, Jose Advincula, and Pablo Virgilio David pose at the Pontificio Collegio Filippino, home of Filipino priests in Rome, after Pope Francis’ funeral Mass on Saturday. —Photo by Cardinal Orlando Quevedo



MANILA, Philippines — Even as the Catholic Church observes nine days of mourning after Pope Francis was buried on Saturday, speculations about his successor persist, with netizens promoting their favorite “papabile,” or “electable,” cardinal as the next pope.

But for Cardinal Pablo Virgilio “Ambo” David, the selection process should not be turned into “a worldly spectacle.”

“Let us remember that the election of a pope is not a political contest but a spiritual discernment. While it is natural to have hopes or preferences for certain personalities, we are ultimately invited to trust in the work of the Holy Spirit and the solemn responsibility entrusted to the College of Cardinals,” David, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), said in a Facebook post on April 25, reiterating his earlier stand discouraging speculations about the conclave expected to begin on May 6.

READ: All eyes turn to conclave after Pope Francis’ funeral

“The conclave is a sacred moment, guided not by popularity or strategy, but by prayer, humility, and the collective listening of the Church’s shepherds to God’s will,” said David, who is joining the conclave for the first time.

He asked instead the Catholic faithful to support the cardinals “with our prayers, not our preferences.”

Fr. Jerome Secillano, executive secretary of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Public Affairs, has also discouraged Filipinos from campaigning for Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, who has been reported as among the front-runners.

Secillano said, “this could create the impression that the conclave might be swayed by external influences.”

INQUIRER

HEADLINES

POLITICS
Govt, LDP Likely to Skip Consumption Tax Cut in Steps against Inflation, Tariffs
ECONOMY
Nippon Steel Expects 42.9% Dive in FY 2025 Net Profit, Bracing for Tariff Impact
SPORTS
Outgoing IOC Pres. Bach Visits JOC, Expresses Gratitude for Years of Support
OTHER
Japan's Princess Aiko Visits Foreign Pavilions at World Exposition in Osaka

AFP-JIJI PRESS NEWS JOURNAL


Photos