Marianne Rozario critiques the public narratives about the upcoming papal conclave. Is secular commentary misunderstanding spiritual processes? 30/04/2025
Almost instantaneously after we learned of the death of Pope Francis, numerous media articles, wider public commentary and social media posts emerged outlining who the next pope could be.
Instead of the focus being on mourning the death of the recent pontiff, a plethora of articles were published showcasing the ‘favourite’ candidates in line to be pope.[1] Specifically, articles featured lists of so–called ‘traditionalists’ versus ‘liberal’ choices[2], and the ‘top candidates’ were described in terms of ‘progressive’ or ‘conservative’ terms.[3] But in doing so, has the entire meaning of the process of the conclave been misunderstood?
The conclave is not a popularity contest. It is not a presidential election, nor is it a championship or tournament. And most importantly, it is not a rivalry between two camps in which people can either vote for or place a bet on the winner. Electing the next head of the Catholic Church cannot – and should not – be seen in such terms.
But too often public commentary tries to understand the religious sphere through the lens of the world, forcing the sacred into the secular. But it just doesn’t fit. Left–wing and right–wing terminology often struggle to hold politics together, and such politically infused terms or processes certainly do not work for religion. While the Church does have its own factions and the cardinals their differing visions, even these should not be understood through the simple binaries of partisan politics. It is a mistake to assume that left/right without any nuance applies here.
As Pope Francis himself said speaking to journalists in 2021: “Please, remember also that the Church is not a political organization with left and right wings, as is the case in parliaments. At times, unfortunately, our considerations are reduced to this, with some root in reality. But no, the Church is not this.”
I have written elsewhere about the process of the conclave. For me, current commentary on the potential next pope misses the mark on the spiritual significance intended in choosing the next pope. Whilst there may be different – perhaps opposing – visions for the future of the Church being brought forward, cardinals in the spirit of prayer not in the spirit of politics ask God who should be the next successor of St Peter. It is a process that is guided by prayer and the Holy Spirit. As such, current commentary on the conclave perhaps finds the sacred too baffling to understand so reduces it to secular understandings. Thus, the clash between the temporal and the spiritual are made most apparent here.
The election of a pope is “not an administrative process, but a deep theological act guided by the Holy Spirit”[4], the third person of the Holy Trinity. For Jesus promised that His Church would be guided by the Holy Spirit – “I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). At the start of the conclave, the cardinal electors implore the coming of the Holy Spirit to aid their electoral process. When voting in the conclave, each cardinal writes on a ballot the name of his choice. After walking to the high altar, under the painting of the Last Judgment by Michelangelo, he says aloud: “I call as my witness Christ the Lord, who will be my judge, that my vote is given to the one who before God I think should be elected.” Each cardinal folds his secret ballot and drops it into a large chalice.
Current commentary on the conclave is brushing aside the spiritual significance and rather amplifying a popularity showdown and creating a lot of backroom gossip. But we as individuals – and especially the cardinals – need not buy into it. After all, there’s a reason the conclave happens behind closed doors.
Before the papal conclave begins, the Master of the Papal Liturgical Celebrations announces the phrase “Extra omnes!” which means “Everyone out!” ordering all those present not participating in the election to leave.[5] Perhaps, it is almost as if those words need extending to wider public commentary and to us as individuals. For it is not up to the media nor up to us who becomes the next pope, but rather the cardinal electors through guidance of the Holy Spirit.
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