KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian will be involved in the voting to appoint the next pope, following the demise of Pope Francis.
The next pope will be chosen by the College of Cardinals, the Catholic Church’s most senior priests – and Johor-born Datuk Seri Sebastian Francis (pic) is one of the 135 electors.
These 135 cardinals are part of the conclave, which is from the Latin word meaning “with key”, indicating the closed – if not secretive – process of electing a Pope.
Cardinal Francis now resides in Penang and has been the Bishop of Penang since 2011.
The 73-year-old will join his counterparts from various parts of the world for the voting, Bernama reported.
He was elevated to the rank of Cardinal in September 2023 by Pope Francis.
He is the second cardinal from Malaysia after the late Anthony Soter Fernandez.
Past Malaysian Catholic Lawyers Association president Datuk Joy Appukuttan said: “We have seen a large number of cardinals appointed from smaller nations.
“Malaysia and Singapore stand out. Our (Cardinal) Francis is one of them and will have to attend the conclave soon,” he said.
Another source said, “Cardinal Sebastian is on his way to Rome for the selection of the new pope.”
The Penang Diocese, in an entry on its website, described Cardinal Francis’ personal belief is that “one must have good human and emotional maturity and balance, always be open to creative thinking, inclusive of all, especially ethic, racial and religious differences”.
The Guardian reported that there are more than 250 cardinals from more than 90 countries, but only about 135 are cardinal electors (those over the age of 80 are excluded).
“About 110 of the cardinal electors have been chosen by (Pope) Francis in the past 10 years and largely reflect his vision of a more inclusive church.
“Once the cardinals are assembled in Rome – usually 15-20 days after the pope’s death – they gather under Michelangelo’s magnificent painted ceiling in the Sistine Chapel to begin their deliberations.
“After the words ‘extra omnes’ (everyone else out) are declared – referring to all but voting cardinals and a handful of officials and doctors – the doors are locked.
“The cardinals swear an oath of absolute secrecy and no contact is permitted with the outside world for the duration of the election process. Their phones are removed and no newspapers, television, letters or messages are allowed. The chapel is also swept for listening devices before and during the conclave,” it reported.
The votes are taken until a candidate wins a two-thirds majority, which means there are elimination rounds.
While the ballot is secret, The Guardian said “that does not mean the process is immune from factionalising, intrigue and lobbying”.
After each round of voting, the ballot cards are burned and smoke emerges from the 60-feet (18.3m) chimney.
Black smoke indicates an inconclusive ballot and white smoke announces that a new pope has been elected.
The election has received global attention because the pope is regarded as the leader of 1.37 billion Catholics worldwide.
Pope Francis, an Argentine who became the first Latin American pope, spoke up for social justice, environmental issues as well as the Palestinian cause.
During his Easter Sunday address just before his death, he expressed his “closeness to the sufferings of Christians in Palestine and Israel, and all the Israeli people and the Palestinian people”.
He constantly criticised Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip, particularly the killing of Palestinians.
In one video posted on social media, he made a phone call to Catholic priests in Palestine to ask about their well-being amidst the attacks.- Bernama
