U.S. Bishops: " We Aren't Ready to Start the Conclave"

By Paolo Mastrolilli
Vatican Insider
March 6, 2013

http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/inquiries-and-interviews/detail/articolo/conclave-22917/

Cardinal Francis George

The Archbishop of Chicago, George, admits U.S.S cardinals know very little about the Vatileaks case

The Archbishop of Chicago, Francis George shakes his head, smiles and says: “It's not the rules that are the problem: even if all cardinal electors had arrived in Rome, I would not want to start the Conclave now, for one very simple reason: We are not ready yet.”

The sun is setting over the Pontifical North American College on Rome's Janiculum Hill where the powerful U.S. bishops' delegation is currently residing.

New York's Cardinal Dolan returns from the Vatican and greets his colleague from Chicago who had led the U.S.S Episcopal Conference before him. Just a few metres away, the Archbishop of Boston, O'Malley, dressed in his Capuchin friar's robes, is getting ready to stroll into the city centre: “There are still too many questions that need to be answered and too many people to meet,” said the cardinal who tops the list of American papabili.” “It is still too soon to start the Conclave: whilst it is true that we would all like to return to our dioceses in time for Easter, we have a choice of historic dimensions to make here and we must take all the time we need to choose.” Also so that cardinals have time to familiarise themselves with all that has gone on in the Vatican recently: “I'm not saying the Vatileaks scandal will be the determining factor but I expect to familiarise myself with all relevant aspects of what we do,” Cardinal O'Malley added.

Top Vatican correspondents reported behind-the-scenes information about the Curia, particularly its Italian members, wanting to speed up the voting process as this would give one of their candidates an advantage over others. This would explain the interpretation of the rules according to which the vote for the Conclave start-date can be held even if not all cardinal electors have arrived in Rome yet. Foreign cardinals, on the other hand, would like more time, to get to grips with the Vatileaks case and possibly reach a consensus on a foreign figure for Pope: a pastor, a surprise.

O'Malley was more explicit about the behind-the-scenes situation: “It is true that there are two schools of thought. The first one claims that since the source of the Church's current problems is the Curia, we should go for a leader who comes from the outside; the second school of thought, however, says the future Pope needs to be someone from the Curia, because his number one task will be to reform this body.” The Boston friar is the first school of thought's favourite because he was efficient in reforming the archdiocese that was at the centre of the Church's sex abuse scandal in the U.S. He shielded himself, however, by saying: “I have worn these Capuchin robes for forty years and I plan to do so until the very end.” But he suggested looking close to home: “Latin America has a very dynamic Church. It will have a strong influence.”

Until about a year ago when some were considering the unlikely possibility of an American being elected Pope, the first name that came to mind was George's. He is a competent intellectual but also an affable person. He is a leader who has a habit of speaking frankly: “I can tell you, without violating the oath of secrecy we are bound by in the general congregations, that the list of candidates for the papacy is getting longer rather than shorter. The names you have seen published in the newspapers make sense but we are also considering other candidates no one had discussed before.

The Archbishop of Chicago was also frank in his description of the progress made in the discussions: “Everything is going according to plan, in the sense that there is no plan: the discussions are very free. But the congregations do have some very specific rules, so real contact between cardinals takes place outside these discussions. If a colleague approaches you and asks you what you think about a potential candidate it means he and the group he leads support that individual. So you reflect on the candidate, aware that he has a certain backing. But proof of this consensus will only be given when we start to vote.” But the voting process must not be hurried. It is better for long discussions to take before the votes are cast and keep the Conclave brief rather than the opposite: “I never thought we would have started on 10 or 11 March.”