CHICAGO (WLS) — The College of Cardinals tasked with electing a new pope is preparing for the papal conclave this week. Voting cardinals have until May 7 to arrive to Vatican City to cast their ballots.
Sunday marked the end of a nine-day mourning period for Pope Francis. Chicago-area Catholics spoke about Pope Francis’s legacy and their hopes for the new pope.
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We are days away from what will be a new chapter for the Roman Catholic Church as the official mourning period for Pope Francis ends and the preparations for the conclave begin.
Parishioners at Holy Name Cathedral’s Sunday evening Mass offered prayers for the voting cardinals.
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Chicago’s faithful are placing their faith and confidence in the College of Cardinals while hoping the late Pope Francis’ legacy will live on.
“I am hoping that we will get another Pope Francis,” Elsie Hobbs said. “He was just that type of pope that I felt you could just be yourself. You could explain to him whatever was going on in your life and he would just be very understating.”
Alejandro Lugo said Pope Francis’ impact extended beyond the Church while also attracting a younger generation of parishioners. It’s something he hopes is a top priority for the new leader.
“Hopefully the new pope will continue listening to the new generation and not just those in power,” Lugo said.
READ MORE | Holy Name Cathedral holds Mass commemorating Pope Francis’ life on day of his funeral
Father James Martin, a consultant to the Vatican, told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos conversations among the cardinals over who could be the next pope have already begun.
“They’ve had these days of general congregations where they’ve talked about the future of the pope, and they’ve also been able to kind of get the measure of the people that they may not know and, of course, they’re talking in a kind of discreet way about who the best candidate would be,” Martin said.
Hobbs said no matter who is elected, she prays the next pope will bring unity for the church.
“I am just hoping that the next pope that they elect will bring us closer and closer together,” Hobbs said. “Just unite the people. We need that right now in this world.”
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The conclave is set to begin in Vatican City on Wednesday. That’s when the College of Cardinals will gather in the Sistine Chapel and cast their votes until a two-third majority is met.
ABC7 Chicago’s Liz Nagy is traveling to Vatican City for the conclave. Look for her reports all week long on ABC7 or wherever you stream.
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