And so the conclave begins.
115 cardinals, representing all Roman Catholics from all over the world, have gathered in Vatican City to elect the Church’s new pope.
Only when a cardinal receives at least 77 of the votes and accepts the new position will the white smoke come out from the Sistine Chapel chimney-signaling that a new pontiff has been elected.
“Let us pray for the Cardinal Fathers who will elect a new Pope in the coming conclave. In this Year of Faith, let us fix our eyes on Jesus the Good Shepherd. With Him and the Life-giving Spirit, we will journey towards the Father and the Kingdom of God with much hope and love,” said Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle , upon the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI.
Meanwhile, St. Peter’s Square in Basilica witnessed a puff of black smoke on the first day of the conclave on Tuesday, March 12.
The College of Cardinals will reconvene, to vote twice in the morning and twice in the evening everyday, until they meet a consensus on who the next pope will be.
While the world waits for Pope Benedict XVI’s successor, Filipino faithfuls revere Cardinal Tagle as Asia’s man of the hour. Tagle is the only cardinal-elector from the Philippines. If elected, he would be the second youngest pope in history — next to Pope Pius IX, who became pope in 1864.
The 55-year-old Tagle, has been considered by observers as one of the “papabili” or strong contenders — touting him as the Great Asian Hope.
He is pitted against heavy favorites such as Angelo Scola (Italy), Odilo Scherer (Brazil) Peter Turkson (Ghana) and Sean O’Malley (United States).
As one of the youngest participants in the conclave, many believe that winning might be a long shot for Tagle since he was only named cardinal in October last year by Pope Benedict XVI, during the Synod of Bishops in Rome.
“Tagle’s relative youth could be a liability. Cardinals could be reluctant to risk giving the reins of the Vatican to someone who could reign for decades,” Associated Press reported.
If netizens’/civilians’ votes would be counted, Tagle might be the runaway winner.
Many of his followers describe him as a 21st century prelate — one who is intelligent, charismatic and appeals even to younger Catholics.
Tagle (who hosts his own program on YouTube and has a Facebook page) is considered by Discovery News as the most prominent and active cardinal online. His Facebook page has 129,000 followers, as of March 13, 2013.
US-based Survivors Network of Those Abuses By Priests also picked Tagle as among the best prospects for pope, who is most capable of addressing clergy sex abuse scandals.
Malacañang earlier lauded Tagle’s efforts in representing Filipino Catholics in Rome.
“Certainly it is an honor for the Philippines for news reports to consider Cardinal Tagle as what we call papabili,” Secretary Edwin Lacierda, presidential spokesperson, said upon learning that Tagle was one of the reported “papabili.”
Along with the Philippine government, many Pinoys are hopeful that Tagle will be the country’s and Asia’s first pope to lead the world’s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics.
Despite the odds, Tagle will have his work cut out for him. Vatican City reported that Catholicism in Asia is growing faster that in any other region of the world.
“Southeast Asia comprised 10.8 percent of that total, up from 10.4 percent the previous year. Asia as a whole had 130 million Catholics in 2010, up from 126 million the previous year,” according to the Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae, a yearbook published by the Vatican’s Secretariat of State.
Tagle’s presence in Rome, admittedly, has raised hopes among Pinoys about the future of the Catholic Church.
Tagle has also captured wide audiences and sympathies for his cause, worldwide — a true papabili.
(AJPress)
