The week of 'Habemus Papam!'

One of the cardinals tells me that he is in Rome about to lock himself in conclave as soon as theextra omnes (Everyone out), that "now we are in the stage of meditation, concentration, and prayer. [...] The congregations of these days are very interesting. They talk about the situation of the Church and the world and, consequently, the profile of the Pope who should come. But, all in all, there is a serene, calm, and fraternal atmosphere."

I suppose there will be as many perceptions of what's going on there as there are cardinals, with their personal histories and expectations, whether their own or imposed by others, and that not all discussions should be so calm or, above all, so fraternal. Francis himself explained in his biography that during the 2013 election, he discovered someone had spread lies about his health to prevent him from being elected.

There will undoubtedly be politics, the interests of more or less conservative factions, and territorial balances in the distribution of power, and an electoral strategy adapted to the incomprehensible fact, coming from a political background, that no one publicly campaigns for themselves. But, "all things considered," among more than 130 electors, there must be a spiritual sense of the vote and a sufficient sense of responsibility for more than one cardinal to be praying for that chalice to be removed from him. This is the case with Francis himself, who, when people came to explain to him what virtues the new pope should have, would ask: "And where do we find such a person?" And when they replied that it could be him, he paid little attention and walked away.