A cardinal predicted that the selection process for the successor to Pope Francis, who died April 21 at the age of 88, “will be very short.”
As cardinals prepare to kick off the conclave week, Cardinal Gregorio Rosa Chávez of El Salvador told ABC News on Friday that the Vatican is looking for “Francis 2.” In preparation, Vatican firemen were spotted installing a ceremonial chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel. It will blow smoke to indicate whether a new pope has been chosen.
Although Chávez, 82, is not eligible to vote in the conclave, he shared that he been very close to the process.
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“I think there is a consensus... the vision is very clear what kind of pope we need in the church and for the world,” said Chávez. “That is why I think the conclave will be very short, two or three days.”
A pope with similar values and beliefs as Pope Francis could signal the Vatican’s desire to continue shifting their policies more toward the left.
During his tenure, Francis drew controversy over several statements that left some Catholics scratching their heads while others commended his open beliefs.
One such statement was his belief that atheists can also go to heaven, reported The Washington Post.
“The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ, all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone! ‘Father, the atheists?’ Even the atheists. Everyone!” Francis said in 2013.
Yet Francis has also used his pedestal to draw attention to politics. He has spoken out against the Gaza war and rebuked President Donald Trump for his draconian immigration policies.
In a letter, Francis wrote that nations have the right to defend themselves against criminals entering their communities, but “the act of deporting people who in many cases have left their own land for reasons of extreme poverty, insecurity, exploitation, persecution or serious deterioration of the environment, damages the dignity of many men and women, and of entire families.”
Francis even managed to take a final jab at Trump from the grave, as a cardinal reiterated the Holy Father’s distaste for the policy.
“Pope Francis incessantly raised his voice, imploring peace and calling for reason and honest negotiation to find possible solutions,” said the cardinal during the ceremony, with Trump looking on from a front-row seat. He added, “‘Build bridges, not walls,’ was an exhortation he repeated many times.”
A reported 133 cardinals will vote for the next pope during the conclave, the most electors ever, reported ABC News; 108 of those cardinals were appointed by Pope Francis.
