The sections behind the scenes in the Vatican

The Vatican Santa Marta Guest House has 128 rooms. From May 7, he will be filled with cardinals participating in the Conclava to choose the next pope. But a room in the guest house has still been sealed with a red ribbon, as it was since its inhabitant died there on Easter on Monday.

This apartment will be opened again when the new pope is selected. The tape remains a tangible reminder of the person whose shoes the Cardinals want to fill – but the presence of Pope Francis is outlined over this conclave in very deep ways.

He spent 12 years in the role and appointed about 80% of the cardinals who will choose his heir. He also sought radically to shake the work of the Catholic Church, moving the center of gravity away from his hierarchy to the Vatican in the direction of faithful around the world and focused on the poor and marginalized.

My conversations with cardinals and those who appreciate the needs of the church in the days leading to these papal elections almost always end what is required through the prism of what Pope Francis did in the role.

While in recent days it seems to be a growing coalescence about the idea that Francis’ work should be built, some of its critics remain far from convinced. So can there be enough of them to swing on the vote, since the church tries to reconcile the different perspectives and realities it faces around the world?

During the two weeks, which followed the death of the Pope, the Cardinals met almost every day in the Vatican for gatherings before a conclave, known as common congregations.

While the conclave in the Sistine Chapel is limited to cardinals who have not yet reached the age of 80 (133 will participate in this), these preliminary meetings are open to all 252 cardinals. Everyone in attendant was denied within five minutes to broadcast their views, although we know that some took longer.

During such a meeting before the last conclave of 2013, in a speech that lasted less than four minutes, Pope Francis – then known as Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina – influenced, talking about the need to connect with those in the distant achievements of the Catholic world.

As a pope, he made a conscious desire to appoint cardinals from such places. That is why it is the most diverse conclave that has ever been. For the first time, Cape Verde, Haiti, South Sudan, Tonga, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea and Rwanda will be presented.

This diversity has already made its mark: it is said that the meetings before the conclave have brought to the fore how different the needs of the church look, depending on where in the world they are viewed.

In Europe, for example, the main consideration for some may be to find ways to strengthen and make a proper mission of the Church in the face of congregation shrinking, while elsewhere – in African or Asian countries – concerns can be rotated around social issues, poverty and conflict resolution.

The future pope will probably be the one who has at least shown recognition of these many different realities.

The official titles that the new Pope will inherit is a sense of the width of the role: Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Jesus Christ, the heir to the Prince of the Apostles, the supreme pontiff of the universal church, sovereign of the Vatican city among them.

While some refer to the deep spiritual, the last of these titles implies the need for a statesman, given that the Pope is the leader of a country, albeit the smallest in the world.

“Unlike your middle country, the Vatican’s agenda is prompted to the extent that the Pope reigns at that time puts his focus,” says Chris Tot, British Ambassador of the Holy See. “On the face of this very tiny condition (but it is), which breaks many, many times above its weight.

“And Pope Francis had 50 million followers on Twitter, so (that is) a very, very small country and an incredible global influence.”

Pope Francis has decided to expand this part of the role by becoming a powerful global speaker on behalf of those who are on the borders, including the poor and the victims of the war.

He also tried to play the role of a peacemaker, though not everyone thought he was successful in this regard, more special with China and Russia.

According to Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the most Catholic figure in England and Wales, this enlargement of the role is one of the reasons why so much out of faith are invested in the result of a conclave.

“It makes sense that the Pope in the face of Pope Francis has become a figure who has turned to everyone in the world … religious people and even those who have no religious affiliation,” he says.

“I’m increasingly aware that not only Catholics are interested in it.”

For many voting cardinals, mostly questions within the Catholic Church are under the spotlight, which leads to the question of the type of pope they want as a manager and someone who leads the administrative body of the church and his ministries.

While Pope Francis worked to improve the way the church deals with the huge questions of sexual abuse and financial corruption, it is his heir that will have to ensure that reforms are applied evenly throughout the Catholic world.

Even the supporters of Pope Francis’ efforts to make changes to the way the Church connects with its believers in rank and file, and the way it builds bridges with those out of faith, sometimes it is left confused about how things are working to work.

Pope Francis changed the tone of social issues through the comments he made by talking openly about objects ranging from climate change to financial transparency in the Vatican. But throughout his papacy, some were not unclear what he meant or how it would be applied.

One mission he had was to take away some of the strength and decisions from the Vatican hierarchy and in the hands of Catholics for rank and file.

For nearly four years, with great effort, he ordered what a poll is really in the world’s Catholics to understand what is important to them. The Lyryans were invited to participate in the latest Episcopal Conference, where the results of the study were discussed.

The largest problems associated with bigger roles for women in the management of the church and the greeting of LGBT+ Catholics. But the meeting ended with some confusion, with a little in the form of tangible steps forward and a little clarity on how laymen would help to focus on the future direction of the church.

So, there is a common desire for more clarity than the new pope.

Throughout their pontiffy, some vocal traditionalists have opposed what they saw as Pope Francis, who deviates from church doctrine and long -standing tradition.

In the meetings of the Cardinals, before a conclave, a row of 80 years (who, because of their age, will not participate in the vote) took advantage of the opportunity to play their role.

Most of the contributions remained secrets, but one of which was reported was that of 83-year-old Italian cardinal, Beniamino Stella. He criticizes Pope Francis for “imposing his own ideas”, trying to move the church rule away from the clergy.

Yet, during the homilia or the religious speech of Pope Francis’ funeral, what seems to resonate with the public in attendance – judging by the volume of applause – was to talk about the topics that Francis chose to champion: the dignity of migrants, the end of war and the environment.

These applause would be heard strongly and clearly by the rows of the cardinals.

In some senses, Pope Francis had a clarity to focus on the church, which is relevant to people in their daily lives and in fact their struggles. He was also aware of connecting to the world beyond faith.

“There is a feeling that there is a voice in the voice of the pope,” says Cardinal Nichols. “For some people, this is a moral compass, for some people it is a feeling of being accepted, for some people it is the insistence that we need to look at things from the point of view of the most, the most.

“This is a voice that has been silent and our job is to find someone who can carry this forward.”

Since the death of Pope Francis to the moment the cardinals checked the guest house of Santa Martha and his overflow residences, it seems that a tendency to desire for continuity of what Pope Francis has achieved.

Although perhaps this vision of continuity is the one that could bring more of its skeptics in a way that is pragmatic. The word “unity” speaks of many, after a period in which the division between supporters and offenders of the pope’s vision can sometimes become ugly.

But in the end, when they step into the Sistine Chapel, the most enlightened voting palace, because of all the pragmatism they may have taken into account before throwing their ballot, they will be called to leave God and the Holy Spirit to lead them.

Top Picture Credit: Getty Images

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