Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline of France cooed at infants on Sunday at a church within the Monti neighborhood of Rome. Cardinal Peter Erdo of Hungary requested for prayers for fellow cardinals at a church close to the Colosseum. Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo of Congo joined clergymen from throughout the globe behind the altar of a church in western Rome.
The three cardinals — thought-about contenders, although not favorites, to turn into the subsequent pope — had been amongst these celebrating Mass throughout Rome on Sunday, making amongst their ultimate public appearances earlier than the conclave to elect a brand new pope begins on Wednesday.
Marketing campaign rallies they weren’t. However within the homilies that the cardinals delivered, and of their interactions with the trustworthy, they supplied hints on the messages they could be giving to different cardinals, and to what sort of pope they may need, or wish to be.
All cardinals are assigned what is called a titular church in Rome; when they’re on the town, they will select to have fun Mass there. Some, like Cardinal Aveline and Cardinal Luis Tagle of the Philippines, a number one papal contender, had already executed so final week. Cardinal Tagle drew a whole lot of Filipino trustworthy to his titular church within the gritty Centocelle suburb on Thursday. A smattering of lesser-known cardinals additionally fanned out throughout the town on Sunday, giving keen Vatican watchers an opportunity to snap photographs of Their Eminences throughout city.
However the two Italian favorites, Cardinals Pietro Parolin and Pierbattista Pizzaballa, didn’t take to the pulpit on Sunday, performing like front-runners in a political marketing campaign who selected to stay silent relatively than, maybe, make a mistake and lose electoral floor.
Just a few curious Catholics — and information reporters scrutinizing cardinals’ each transfer — confirmed as much as Cardinal Pizzaballa’s titular church anyway, hoping to catch a glimpse of a possible new pontiff.
“I’ll perceive in the event you need to go,” the priest on the church of Sant’Onofrio al Gianicolo, on a hill overlooking Rome, advised a few dozen parishioners. “Cardinal Pizzaballa won’t be right here as we speak or tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.”
The parishioners stayed. The half-dozen reporters milling round took off, contenting themselves with chatting with Francesco Ziaco, a 63-year-old banker who had come to see Cardinal Pizzaballa — and who occurred to additionally look loads like him.
(A reporter from RAI, the Italian broadcaster, requested Mr. Ziaco if he was the cardinal, going clandestine in civilian garments. Although he was not, he acknowledged, “The primary time I noticed his image, I assumed, ‘This man appears like me.’”)
The cardinals who did have fun Mass had been met with enthusiastic assist.
A standing-room-only crowd stuffed the Basilica di Santa Francesca Romana, often known as Santa Maria Nova, ready for Cardinal Erdo, the archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, to reach. A number of rows of chairs painted in gold close to the entrance of the church had been reserved for dignitaries, together with the Hungarian ambassadors to the Holy See and to Italy.
In his homily, the cardinal, a favourite of conservative Catholics, urged the trustworthy to hope for a brand new pope “who should deepen the church’s mission in a dramatic section of humanity’s historical past.”
“The church of as we speak should confront to start with the query of its personal ambition,” he mentioned, calling for traditions to be protected and the church to give attention to evangelization.
Cardinal Erdo, 72, didn’t mingle with parishioners. He waved off reporters who requested questions however did decrease his automobile window on the best way out to greet a toddler.
The tone of Cardinal Aveline’s Mass on Sunday felt lighter. He opened the service at Santa Maria ai Monti by thanking the Virgin of the Mount for having carried out a “little miracle.” Later within the service, the parish priest, the Rev. Francesco Pesce, defined that the cardinal’s bag had been stolen at Mass on the church final week. Three days later, it was discovered.
Father Pesce joked that he would turn into pope and make Cardinal Aveline his secretary of state. There have been laughs throughout. The cardinal thanked parishioners for making him really feel at house.
“Don’t be afraid of the reality, it is going to set us free,” Cardinal Aveline, 66, the archbishop of Marseille, mentioned throughout his homily. “Don’t be afraid of those that are completely different from us, as a result of every man and every lady is a brother and sister for whom Christ has risen.”
Cardinal Aveline individually named the youngsters who had been confirmed, one of many sacraments within the Roman Catholic Church, every week earlier. He stopped by the entrance pews to shake arms with elementary college kids whom he later joined within the vestry for a chat. He spoke with parishioners and patted infants. He didn’t communicate with reporters.
On the San Gabriele Arcangelo all’Acqua Traversa, Cardinal Ambongo, the archbishop of Kinshasa, made a degree to emphasize the universality of the church in a homily delivered from an altar with clergymen from the Philippines, India, Madagascar and Italy.
Cardinal Ambongo, 65, a favourite of Francis, requested the trustworthy to hope for the cardinals getting into within the conclave in order that they’d be illuminated with the Holy Spirit “to elect for the common church a pope” who is able to face the challenges of the trendy world.
After the Mass, the cardinal met with reporters, staying on message with the type of self-discipline that might make many political operatives jealous.
“I requested for prayers — not for prayers for a sure cardinal, for a cardinal from a sure a part of the world,” he mentioned. “We pray for a pastor that God desires for his common church.”
Cardinal Ambongo dodged questions on homosexual, lesbian and transgender Catholics, of whom he has been lower than inclusive, or previous feedback that girls couldn’t turn into pope, saying, “It’s not the time to speak about this stuff.”
Then he mentioned hi there to parishioners, kissed a child and went to lunch, hoping, he mentioned, that the papal election could be a brief one. “We hope that it’s going to not take an extended, very long time,” he mentioned.
Source link