The cardinals of the Catholic Church met on Saturday, May 3, 2025, at the Vatican for their ninth session ahead of the papal election.
These private meetings, called “general congregations,” are held to discuss the challenges the new pope will face, preparing them for the vote set for Wednesday, May 7, 2025.
During the meetings, the cardinals will determine who will succeed Pope Francis, who passed away on April 21, 2025.
The cardinals, arriving from various parts of the world, walked through crowds of pilgrims and journalists as they headed to their meeting.
Despite the public presence, they remained tight-lipped about the process, not offering predictions on the length of the upcoming conclave.
Cardinal William Seng Chye Goh, Archbishop of Singapore, shared that they would wait for divine guidance during the conclave.
He stressed that, while Pope Francis’ contributions were valuable, no pope is without flaws, and they are determined to select the best candidate to carry on the work.
Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco, Archbishop of Algiers, expressed hopes for a successor who would continue Pope Francis’ progressive approach, trusting that the right person has already been chosen by God.
The papal election is being closely watched by over 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide.
Even non-Catholic leaders have taken an interest, with U.S. President Donald Trump humorously posting a picture of himself dressed as the pope on his Truth Social platform.
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