Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the Archbishop of Westminster and leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, recently spoke about his experience during the conclave that elected the new pope, Leo XIV. Unlike previous conclaves, held in total secrecy, under wraps of the Sistine Chapel and over several days, this conclave was quickly over. It concluded with the election of Pope Leo by 133 cardinals, including Nichols’ cardinal himself.
We’ll let you know how all this develops. Pope Leo XIV will be formally installed at a mass in St. Peter’s Square on May 18th. Delegations from every country on earth will be at this high-stakes gathering. It truly is a remarkable moment. It clearly represents a new chapter for the Catholic Church.
In his own reflections, Cardinal Nichols described Pope Leo as “a very decisive person. He pointed to the new pope’s impressive ability to arrive at difficult decisions while still appealing to all sides of the issue. That was a point Nichols stressed, explaining that Pope Leo has a special ability to deliver difficult news with a sense of mercy.
“A good thing about a pope is if he’s able to say, ‘No’, to you when he thinks something is not right and then give you a hug so you don’t go away offended, and I think he’s got that ability to do both those things, which is very important.” – Cardinal Vincent Nichols
The conclave came to a close unusually quickly, making this notable for its shortness. In sharp contrast, the last two conclaves in 2005 and 2013 each lasted two full days. To illustrate how efficient this conclave was, Cardinal Nichols implied that this was a direct result of the legacy that Pope Francis will leave behind.
“I think it was a short conclave in part because Pope Francis left us with a good inheritance,” – Cardinal Vincent Nichols
Cardinal Nichols smiled as he recalled the mood of the conclave itself, which he said was “immensely peaceful.” He noted the importance of remaining sealed off from the outside world during this time, stating, “For me, one of the experiences of these last few days was to learn a bit of patience, to just take this step by step.” This idyllic setting helped create a prayerful and serious mood for the college of cardinals.
“There was a calmness, a bit of solemnity,” – Cardinal Vincent Nichols
Pope Leo’s election is another amazing moment in the long and storied history of papal conclaves. Since the late 15th century, these colorful and lively events have occurred in the Sistine Chapel. And since Cardinals attending the conclaves can not communicate with the outside world, they will need to be quiet until a new pope is chosen.
Nichols, at 79 years of age, was one of the oldest cardinals in attendance. He acknowledged that Pope Leo’s decisions may occasionally disappoint some but reassured that they would not destroy anyone in the process.
“It was a much calmer process than that and I found it actually a rather wonderful experience,” – Cardinal Vincent Nichols
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