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Vatican City, Apr 30, 2025 / 09:23 am (CNA).

The College of Cardinals on Wednesday called on Catholics around the world to pray for them as they prepare to enter the conclave next week to elect the next pope, acknowledging the “enormity of the task ahead” in choosing the next successor of Peter. 

The appeal came as the cardinals concluded their seventh general congregation — the daily meetings leading up to the start of the conclave on May 7. 

In a statement released by the Holy See Press Office, the cardinals said they are “conscious of the responsibility to which they are called” and are relying on the prayers of the global Catholic community. 

“This is the true force that in the Church promotes the unity of all the members of the one body of Christ,” the statement said, citing 1 Corinthians 12:12. “Faced with the enormity of the task ahead and the urgency of the present time, it is first of all necessary to make ourselves humble instruments of the infinite wisdom and providence of our heavenly Father, in docility to the action of the Holy Spirit.” 

The cardinals emphasized the importance of listening to the Holy Spirit in their deliberations and asked that the Blessed Virgin Mary accompany their prayers “with her maternal intercession.” 

Cardinal Becciu 

The cardinals on Wednesday also addressed two procedural matters, including the number of electors and the role of Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu, who on Tuesday renounced his right to vote in the conclave. 

Becciu, the former deputy secretary of state, had previously insisted on his right to vote but stepped aside “to contribute to the communion and serenity of the conclave,” according to the Vatican statement.

The college expressed appreciation for his decision and said it hoped “the competent organs of justice will be able to definitively ascertain the facts.” 

Becciu resigned his cardinal privileges in 2020 amid accusations of financial misconduct and was convicted in December 2023 of embezzlement, aggravated fraud, and abuse of office. He has denied all wrongdoing and is appealing his conviction. 

More than 120 cardinal electors  

The cardinals also confirmed that Pope Francis had lawfully dispensed with the numerical limit of 120 electors previously established by St. John Paul II’s 1996 apostolic constitution Universi Dominici Gregis. While the document’s paragraph 33 capped the number of cardinal electors at 120, paragraph 36 of the constitution affirms that “a cardinal of holy Roman Church who has been created and published before the College of Cardinals thereby has the right to elect the pope.” 

The college noted that Pope Francis, in the exercise of his supreme authority, had created more than 120 cardinal electors, and those over the threshold may validly vote. The same precedent was set under Pope John Paul II, who in February 2001 allowed the number of cardinal electors to reach 135. 

As of now, 133 cardinal electors — those under the age of 80 — are expected to participate in the conclave. The Vatican confirmed Tuesday that two of the 135 eligible cardinal electors will not attend due to health reasons, though their names were not released at the time. 

Cardinals discuss Vatican finances 

The general congregation began at 9 a.m. on April 30 with 124 cardinal electors present. In the first part of the morning, the economic and financial situation of the Holy See was discussed. 

Cardinal Reinhard Marx presented challenges and proposals from the perspective of sustainability. Cardinal Kevin Farrell spoke about the Holy See’s investment activity, Cardinal Christoph  Schönborn spoke about the situation of the Vatican Bank, Cardinal Fernando Vergez about the activities of the Governorate, and Cardinal Konrad Krajewski spoke about the Dicastery for Charity. 

Fourteen other cardinals delivered interventions during the congregation touching on themes including the ecclesiology of the people of God, synodality and episcopal collegiality, vocations, and evangelization, according to the Vatican. 

The meeting ended at 12:30 p.m. with the prayer of the Regina Coeli. 

A time of discernment 

As the conclave approaches, the cardinals have emphasized that this is a time of grace and discernment for the Church. 

“The College of Cardinals gathered in Rome, engaged in the general congregations in preparation for the conclave, wishes to invite the people of God to live this ecclesial moment as an event of grace and spiritual discernment, listening to the will of God,” the statement read.  

“Indeed, [the Holy Spirit] is the protagonist of the life of the people of God, the One to whom we must listen, accepting what he is saying to the Church (cf. Rev 3:6).” 

The conclave will begin on May 7 in the Sistine Chapel with the cardinals voting in daily ballots until one man receives a two-thirds majority. 

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Buenos Aires, Argentina, Apr 30, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

As the faithful of Buenos Aires bid farewell to Pope Francis with a symbolic embrace in the Plaza de Mayo after the heavily attended Mass celebrated by the local archbishop April 29, a familiar face appeared among the crowd. A male religious in a blue-gray habit crossed the Plaza de Mayo with a smile that has circulated on social media over the past week.

It was Brother Juan of the Community of the Lamb whose face went viral last week in a video recalling an emotion-laden moment with Pope Francis in Rome.

In the video posted by Upsocl, which lasts just a few seconds and has already drawn more than 2.3 million views, the Holy Father can be seen making his usual appearance after the general audience, greeting the people gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

At one point, Pope Francis’ face changes to an expression of surprise, and then he briefly makes the gesture of placing his hand over his heart upon seeing a familiar face in the crowd. The video depicts that moment as “the day Pope Francis forgot he was pope” when he recognized his friend in the crowd.

That friend, with whom they could then be seen giving each other a big hug, is Brother Juan, who, as he told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, was celebrating his 50th birthday that day when he attended the general audience at the Vatican.

Upon seeing him, “the pope was surprised, and when I told him I was 50, that’s when he hugged me.”

Regarding the pope’s death, the priest, who had known Jorge Bergoglio since 1996, said: “I always had a great friendship with him, and now it’s time to put into practice what he taught us. We must continue.”

Regarding the celebrations and tributes, he acknowledged that “it’s all very emotional,” adding that the pope “loved Thérèse very much, so he will continue to do good from heaven,” in reference to St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, one of the saints who inspires the charism of the Community of the Lamb, which is present in France, Argentina, Austria, Spain, the United States, and Poland.

A long friendship

In 1994, Bergoglio welcomed the community to Buenos Aires to found new small fraternities of brothers and sisters there. 

In 2002, at Bergoglio’s own initiative, the community settled on land adjacent to St. Joseph Carmelite Monastery in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Constitución, where the small monastery “Light of Nazareth” was built.

Such was the familiarity with this community that two days after his papal election, Francis, together with Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, called together all the brothers and sisters of the Community of the Lamb who were in Rome.

On that occasion, March 15, 2013, he told them: “Thank you for what you do in the Church. John Paul II and Pope Benedict insisted that more than teachers, we need witnesses. You have a great capacity to be witnesses. Pure grace. Preserve it… That bearing witness to life; prayer, liturgy; that asking for bread, hitchhiking; that witness of poverty and joy… Because people love you… And in fact, I want to thank you.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

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CNA Staff, Apr 30, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Cardinals from around the world have made their way to the Vatican to participate in a centuries-old tradition known as a conclave — a meeting in which the College of Cardinals gathers to elect a new pope. 

The Catholic Church currently has 252 cardinals; however, only 135 of these cardinals can vote in the conclave because a cardinal must be younger than 80 years old to vote. 

Pope Francis during his pontificate appointed 108 of the 135 cardinal electors. There are 14 cardinals representing the United States and Canada  — 10 from the United States and four from Canada.

Here is a list of the cardinals from the U.S. and Canada taking part in the conclave:

United States

Cardinal Robert Prevost, OSA  

Prevost serves as the prefect for the Dicastery for Bishops and was the former superior general of the Order of St. Augustine. He also served as bishop of Chiclayo in Peru from 2015 to 2023. Pope Francis made Prevost a cardinal in 2023. He is 69 years old. 

Cardinal Daniel DiNardo 

DiNardo is the former archbishop of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, serving the archdiocese from 2006 to Jan. 20, 2025. He was made a cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007. He is 75 years old. 

Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke

Burke was bishop of La Crosse, Wisconsin, for almost nine years and founded the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe during this time. He then spent four years as the archbishop of St. Louis. He was made a cardinal in 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI. From 2008 to 2014, he was the prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura. He is 76 years old.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan 

Dolan has been serving as the archbishop of New York since 2009 and continues to do so at the age of 75. He was made a cardinal in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI. 

Cardinal James Michael Harvey 

Harvey is the archpriest of the Papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome. He also served as the prefect of the Pontifical House for Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, who appointed him a cardinal in 2012. He is 75 years old. 

Cardinal Blase Cupich 

Cupich has served as the archbishop of Chicago since 2014 and was made a cardinal in 2016 by Pope Francis. He is 76 years old.

Cardinal Joseph Tobin

Tobin has been the archbishop of Newark, New Jersey, since 2017 and is a member of the Redemptorist order. He was made a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2016. He is 72 years old. 

Cardinal Wilton Gregory 

Gregory served as the archbishop of Washington, D.C., until Jan. 6, 2025. He became the first African American cardinal when Pope Francis appointed him in 2020. He is 77 years old.

Cardinal Robert McElroy

McElory succeeded Gregory as archbishop of Washington. He previously served as the bishop of San Diego. He was made a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2022. He is 71 years old.

Cardinal Kevin Farrell  

Farrell serves as the camerlengo of the holy Roman Church and prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family, and Life. He also served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington from 2002 to 2007 and bishop of Dallas from 2007 to 2017. He was made a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2016 and is 77 years old.

Canada

Cardinal Thomas Collins

Collins served as the archbishop of Toronto until 2023. In 2012, he was made a cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI. He is 78 years old.

Cardinal Gérald Lacroix, ISPX

Lacroix has served as archbishop of Quebec since 2011 and was made a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2014. He is 67 years old.

Cardinal Frank Leo

Leo has served as archbishop of Toronto since 2023. He was made a cardinal in 2024 by Pope Francis and is one of youngest cardinals at age 53. 

Cardinal Michael Czerny, SJ

Czerny has served as the prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development since 2022 and was made a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2019. He is 78 years old.

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