No date has been set for the election of a Pope as cardinals of the Catholic Church enter their fifth day of pre-conclave talks this morning.
The cardinals started meeting on Monday in what are known as general congregations ahead of the conclave that is expected to elect the successor of Pope Benedict XVI.
The meetings, during which cardinals deliver short messages, are covered by a news blackout with the only information coming in the form of a news bulletin by Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi.
Auxiliary Bishop Charles Scicluna said cardinals would be using the meetings to get to know each other.
“They will not be discussing the names of candidates but listening to each other and setting the agenda for the new Pope.”
Mgr Scicluna said names would only start to be mentioned when the conclave begins.
“Cardinals cannot lobby for themselvesbut groups of cardinals will propose possible candidates during the conclave and try to convince others of their choice,” he added.
Vatican observer Frank Zammit, who runs the news blog Il Servizio Petrino, said the Italian cardinals wanted an immediate conclave while the US and German cardinals were after more time to ask for explanations on various issues.
He noted that Cardinal Sean O’Malley, the Archbishop of Boston, had asked for more details about the Vatileaks scandal.
Mr Zammit said the US block of cardinals was very united and they were attending the congregations together.
The Catholic Church was concerned about having a Pope installed before Easter – the most significant feast in the Christian calendar – but Mr Zammit said lengthier meetings could mean a shorter conclave.
“During these discussions, cardinals will be shaping a profile of a new Pope. It seems they will be seeking a shepherd, not a bureaucrat,” he said.
The list of names of those likely to replace the retired Benedict XVI has lengthened rather than shortened from the day the Pope announced his resignation last month.
“I would keep an eye open for Archbishop Odilo Scherer, 63, who heads the Archdioceses of Sao Paulo in Brazil,” Mr Zammit said.
There are 115 cardinals with the right to vote, including an 80-year-old who reached the cut-off age – cardinals cannot vote if they are over 80 – after the papal seat was vacated. The last two electors arrived at the Vatican yesterday.
To be elected Pope, the chosen individual has to obtain a two-thirds majority plus one at the college of electors.
ksansone@timesofmalta.com