All eyes turn to conclave after Pope Francis' funeral

VATICAN CITY, April 28 ------ With Pope Francis laid to rest, all eyes turn now to the conclave, the secretive meeting of cardinals set to convene within days to elect a new head of the Catholic Church. 

Alongside world leaders and reigning monarchs, an estimated 400,000 people turned out on Saturday for the Argentine pontiff's funeral at the Vatican and burial in Rome. The crowds were a testament to the popularity of Francis, an energetic reformer who championed the poorest and most vulnerable.   

Many of those mourning the late pope, who died on Monday aged 88, expressed anxiety about who would succeed him. "He ended up transforming the Church into something more normal, more human," said Romina Cacciatore, 48, an Argentinian translator living in Italy. "I'm worried about what's coming." 

On Monday morning, at 9 a.m. (0700 GMT), cardinals will hold their fifth general meeting since the pope's death, at which they are expected to announce a date for the conclave. Held behind locked doors in the frescoed Sistine Chapel, the election of a pope has been a subject of public fascination for centuries. Cardinal-electors will cast four votes a day until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority, a result broadcast to the waiting world by burning papers that emit white smoke. 

Luxembourg Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich said last week he expected the conclave to take place on May 5 or 6 -- shortly after the nine days of papal mourning, which ends on May 4. German Cardinal Reinhard Marx told reporters Saturday the conclave would last just "a few days". 

Only cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to vote in the conclave, with 135 currently eligible -- most of whom Francis appointed himself. But experts caution against assuming they will choose someone like him. 

Francis, a former archbishop of Buenos Aires who loved being among his flock, was a very different character to his predecessor Benedict XVI, a German theologian better suited to books than kissing babies. Benedict in turn was a marked change from his Polish predecessor, the charismatic, athletic and hugely popular John Paul II. Francis' changes triggered anger among many conservative Catholics, and many of them are hoping the next pope will turn the focus back on doctrine. 

Some cardinals have admitted the weight of the responsibility that faces them in choosing a new head of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics. "We feel very small," Hollerich said last week. "We have to make decisions for the whole Church, so we really need to pray for ourselves." 

Source: manilatimes.net