VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Cardinals said they believe the conclave scheduled to begin May 7 should not be long, with some claiming it will end as soon as two or three days after it starts.
Salvadoran Cardinal Gregorio Rosa Chávez told RNS on Wednesday (April 30) that he believes cardinals are ready to enter the conclave with specific names for the next pontiff in mind.
“Each one has his own opinion. Each one has his own list of candidates,” Rosa Chávez said after exiting the seventh meeting of cardinals ahead of the conclave at the Vatican, called general congregations.
“Maybe by Sunday or Saturday my candidate will be the next pope,” he said, adding he has a list of five candidates who have his support. At age 82, Rosa Chávez is too old to vote, however.
Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco of Algiers (Algeria) and Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako of the Chaldean Church in Baghdad (Iraq) also told journalists they expect the election of the next pontiff to happen soon, hinting that after getting to know one another, the prelates are converging on a list of candidates.
Some have voiced differing opinions, though, including German Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, who said even though he hopes for a short conclave, the outcome remains im …