Traditionalists and liberals set to clash at Cardinals’ Conclave to elect new Pope

Experts say that the balance is in favour of traditionalists as there was much opposition to Pope Francis’ progressive thrust in the Catholic hierarchy  

By Abhijit Roy

Traditionalists and liberals are set to clash at the Cardinals’ Conclave which is to choose a successor to the late Pope Francis in the next few days.  

Experts say that the balance is in favour of traditionalists as there was much opposition in the Catholic hierarchy to Francis’ progressive thrust right through his 12-year Papacy.  

Francis is hailed the world-over as a friend of the poor, a beacon of light for the marginalized, the persecuted and the victims of senseless wars. But many of his views on social and political matters did not go down well with traditionalists in the top echelons of the church. A fair section felt that he was too radical for an essentially conservative institution wedded to traditional beliefs.  

“The death of Pope Francis will throw into sharp relief the internecine power struggle that has been a hallmark of his Papacy,” says The Guardian in a report from the Vatican.

“In the coming days, a ferocious battle for the future of the church will be played out with the highest of stakes within the sanctity of the Sistine Chapel,” the daily predicts.

In the 12 years of his Papacy, Francis had appointed about 110 of the 135 Cardinals now eligible to vote in the election of a successor. Though it is said that Francis had stacked the electoral college called the “Conclave” with Cardinals sharing his progressive outlook, Iacopo Scaramuzzi, a Vatican journalist with La Repubblica newspaper contends that there are conservatives as well as progressives among them.

Scaramuzzi cited Gerhard Ludwig Muller, the German Cardinal Francis had appointed, who clashed with him on numerous issues. Muller branded Francis’ decree to allow the blessing of gay couples as “heresy”.

Conservatives were infuriated by his softening of the church’s stance on divorced and remarried Catholics, opening the door to some of them receiving communion.

The heresy charge was repeated in a 20-page open letter in 2019, signed by prominent priests and scholars. They were lambasting “the accumulating harm caused by Pope Francis’s words and actions over several years, which have given rise to one of the worst crises in the history of the Catholic church”.

Francis was criticised for prioritizing political correctness which led him to gloss over human rights violations in China, Hong Kong, and Venezuela. Cardinal George Pell had even described Francis’ Papacy as a “catastrophe” in a memo.  

Foremost among his critics was the US cardinal Raymond Burke whose views aligned with those President Donald Trump. Francis marginalised Burke, even stripping him of his salary and the Vatican-subsidised apartment The Guardian recalled.

African Cardinal Robert Sarah of Guinea had also emerged as an arch critic of Francis, In January 2020, Sarah published a book which defended clerical celibacy when Francis was considering a relaxation of the rules relating to it. The Guinean cardinal had also slammed Francis’s dialogue with Islamists, at a time when Francis was consulting the Grand Imam of the Al Azhar mosque in Cairo. Sarah was also opposed to Francis’ liberal policy towards women and gay people in the church.

Francis was Fought Back

Francis was not passive. In his autobiography, Hope, published in January, he criticised the ostentatious life style of the clergy. Referring to the way they dressed, he wrote; “These ways of dressing up sometimes conceal mental imbalance, emotional deviation, behavioural difficulties, a personal problem that may be exploited.”

Francis set an example by living simply. As The Guardian put it, “While previous Popes wore red leather slippers and ermine-trimmed capes, Francis wore stout shoes and a plain white cassock. While his predecessors had lived in the lavish papal apartment Francis lived in the simple Santa Marta guesthouse and eat in a self-service cafeteria.”

According to William Donohue, President of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights in the US, Cardinals from outside Europe, that is, from Afro-Asia and Latin America, tend to be more conservative. And his prediction is that the final choice could fall on one of these conservatives.  

Donohue, who is an admirer of Francis, nevertheless said that Francis’ progressive views were at times jarring. “Quite frankly, the Holy Father often made pronouncements that fostered confusion. The time has come to promote a more coherent vision; this will require a gentle push of the pendulum back to the middle,” he wrote.

“If the Cardinals decide to choose someone who is a traditionalist, they can do no better than to look to Africa. Africa is home to the most brilliant orthodox clergy in the world. If the Cardinals want to choose someone more like Francis, they will look to Europe,” Donahue suggests.

But the choice will not be without controversy and wrangling. There will be a showdown between those who identify with Francis, as many in Europe do, and those who want a return to a more coherent vision for the Church, as exemplified by the African clergy.

Donahue points out that wherever progressivism reigns, the churches are increasingly empty; where traditionalism is the norm, the churches are mostly thriving. “That alone should count a great deal. Orthodoxy is a winner; heterodoxy is a loser,” he said.

Principal Contenders

According to an Al Jazeera report, among the African Cardinals being discussed are Ghana’s Peter Turkson, Democratic Republic of  Congo’s Fridolin Ambongo, the Archbishop of Kinshasa. Both are committed conservatives. Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdo is also a leading conservative candidate who could also serve as a bridge to Eastern Christians. Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, Erdo, is a traditionalist who has also championed outreach to Orthodox Christians, stressing the “desperate need” for unity between the churches.

The Philippines Cardinal Luis Tagle, the former Archbishop of Manila,  is a strong contender though like Francis, he emphasises social justice and caring for the poor.

Also in the mix is Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See’s secretary of state, Italy’s Matteo Zuppi, archbishop of Bologna, and Malta’s Mario Grech, secretary-general of the Synod of Bishops.

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