Thomas Katoi is a professor of early Christian theology and interfaith relations at the Pontifical University of Thomas Aquinati-Angelicum, that is, the university from which he comes and. Combining theology with multifaceted studies of economics and philosophy in Oxford and London School of Economics, as well as psychology, he has authored pioneering works on the dialogue of Roman Catholicism with the East, mainly with Orthodoxy and Buddhism. He was in Rome, where he teaches, and conveyed to us the climate.
How was the atmosphere these days in Rome?
Between the funeral of Pope Francis and the official launch of Conclavium there are nine days in which functions are held in memory of the devotee. The cardinals have the opportunity to talk to each other on various occasions before they are isolated from the outside world, e.g. on the sidelines of worship or in meals. But we also participate in functions. Of course no one has access to information, but it may have a very general sense, e.g. Listening to sermons and so on. I must tell you that the movie “Conclave” is simplistic about the processes that are happening. The real concussion is much more complicated. In the film, but also in many articles, there is reference to progressive and conservative as if they were just two fronts. The reality is more complex as much thinner balances are sought.
There are cardinals that are shown because they have very clear positions, either conservative or progressive. They prove that they didn’t have much hope. E.g. American Raymond Leo Berk, German Gerhard Miller or Robert Sara of Guinea had been identified as important representatives of conservatism, while Matteo Jupi of progressiveism.
But the trend was for centrals and moderate nominations, which get elements from the whole spectrum. On the part of progress, different voices have been heard in recent years on gender -based issues. Some were not limited to pastoral treatment, but they even demanded that the teaching of the Church be changed. About homosexuality. Similar views are not popular among the cardinals.
The problem is that candidates with clear positions are known to the public because they have clarity. But to get 2/3 you need to bring different sides in consultation. Moderate centers who achieve this are often not known to the general public, because their positions and their candidacy in general have greater complexity.
Apart from the complexity in the synthesis of progressive and conservative elements, is there a complexity in addressing issues related to geopolitical?
Regarding Ukraine, there was a double in his attitude. In terms of the humanitarian part, there was help in Ukraine through Cardinal Conrad Kleyevski. As for the politician, Pope Francis sought a balance, wanted to have channels with Russia and not to alienate the Russian Church. In this resentful attitude it has been criticized by many criticism.
In China, there had been a regular church recognized by the Vatican in the past decades, which, however, existing persecution, and one recognized by the ruling party, but was not recognized by the Vatican. In the end, there was a compromise agreement with China and in 2018-2024 we have agreements on the designation of bishops. The man who led to the agreement with China is Pietro Parolin, who was a key candidate in the concussion. He may have been criticized because the agreement gives a lot of power to the Chinese authorities for the definition of bishops. On the other hand, it is considered that agreements are a principle. Parolin had also participated in diplomacy in Ukraine and Russia.
The case of Pianro Pololin
It was a case of a central candidate who is not so well known to the general public, as he has not written inspirational theological books, but has great professionalism and could bring many sides of the cardinals to agree. He has served in important positions, such as a state -run secretary under Francis. Born in a small village in Veneto, he is an official of Kuria behind the spotlight in diplomacy. However, it is not often the case for a diplomat to be elected a pope. A rare case was Pius Iv, ambassador to Germany, who was elected a few months before World War II, because of his diplomatic experience, even if he was not a shepherd.
Of course, an additional big discussion was whether it was advisable to have an Italian pope again or not. John Paul I was the last Italian Pope for 33 days. 47 years have passed since then. After World War II, the three Italian popes were very much involved in Italian domestic policy in a non -healthy way, so in the 1970s it seemed better to be elected an Italian. Now things have changed so much, there is no Christian Democratic Party, as it was until 1994. Even if it was an Italian Pope, it would have no influence on the dynamics of the internal political scene. Things have changed, there is no longer this strong concern that an Italian Pope would be overly mixed with the Italian policy under which non -Italians were elected.
In the case of Parolin we saw the saying “whoever enters the pope in the Conclave comes out as a cardinal”. What other criteria are important for the election of a Pope?
Everyone is talking about the chaos in the Vatican. This has begun by Pope Benedict, but no decisive progress has been made on Francis. There are financial deficits and it is very important that the next Pope can ensure the possibility of paying wages in the Vatican for workers. It should be noted that donations from North America have declined dramatically over the last ten years, because many North Americans did not like Francis. Donations may start again, since the new pope is more modest.
Another criterion is age. John Paul II was elected to his 58th and was a Pope for 27 years. There is no desire to have so long -term popes again. Cardinals, such as Pierre-Batista Pizzabala, who is about 60 years old, are considered young. The ideal age for a papabile is about 70 years.
What is the attitude of a Pope’s North American ancestry?
In previous years there was great hesitation, because it would be considered problematic for the Pope to be associated with a great political power. The last time a major secular ruler had a say on the papal institution was at the beginning of the 20th century, when the Austrian-Hungarian emperor could veto an election. Since then, the independence of the papal institution by political forces has been considered very important. Especially as to the president, it is no secret that some cardinals, though in no way-criticize his policies and would not want to have excessive influence.
How did we finally get to a North American Pope?
The candidacy of Robert Prevost, the current Pope Leo ID, was discussed. There was a reflection on whether we should have a North American Pope. Robert Prevost was not known to the general public. I was at St. Peter’s Square during the name announcement and I felt the shock of all the people around me, as no one knew who Robert Prevost was. Of course, the initiates know him well. Those who know him personally talk about a moderate man who had stayed under the radar of intense publicity, which is caused by controversy. Is oriented to detail. It is a lawyer with a doctoral thesis in normal law, at our University, Angelicum, which creates optimism that we will have more effective decision -making processes. This is a continuity choice with Francis, but with an emphasis on greater discipline.
