How a Quiet American Cardinal Became Pope

The cardinals electing a brand new pope to steer the Roman Catholic Church left the Sistine Chapel exhausted and hungry.

A meditation to start out the conclave had dragged on and pushed their first vote deep into Wednesday night. It had resulted in an inconclusive tally, with three major contenders. Preserving their vow of secrecy, they returned to Casa Santa Marta, the guesthouse the place they have been sequestered with out their telephones, and began speaking.

Over dinner, as one gluten-free cardinal picked over greens and others shrugged on the easy fare, they weighed their decisions. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, 70, the Italian who ran the Vatican beneath Pope Francis, had entered the conclave as a front-runner however hadn’t acquired overwhelming help in the course of the vote. The Italians have been divided, and among the cardinals within the room had change into bothered by his failure to emphasise the collaborative conferences that Francis prioritized for governing the church.

Cardinal Peter Erdo of Hungary, 72, backed by a coalition of conservatives that included some African supporters, had no solution to construct momentum in an voters extensively appointed by Francis.

That left Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, 69 — a quiet American darkish horse who had, surprisingly, emerged within the night’s vote — as a supply of explicit curiosity.

A missionary turned spiritual order chief, turned Peruvian bishop, turned Vatican energy participant, he checked most of the bins {that a} broad vary of cardinals hoped to fill. His seeming capacity to be from two locations directly — North and South America — happy cardinals on two continents. Because the prelates sounded out the Latin American cardinals who knew him effectively, they preferred what they heard.

Throughout the dinner, Cardinal Prevost averted any apparent politicking or machinations, cardinals stated. By the subsequent morning, he had remodeled into an unsuspecting juggernaut who finally left little room for rival candidacies and ideological camps.

“You start to see the route and say, ‘Oh my goodness, I’m not going to make use of my 5 days’ value of garments,’” joked Cardinal Pablo Virgilio Siongco David of the Philippines. “It’s going to be resolved very quick.”

Interviews with greater than a dozen cardinals, who might reveal solely a lot due to secrecy guidelines that carry the penalty of excommunication, and accounts from Vatican insiders instructed the story of how Cardinal Prevost turned Pope Leo XIV. The swift, beautiful and taboo-smashing consensus round an American unfamiliar to many outdoors the church got here on Thursday amongst an unwieldy Faculty of Cardinals with many new members who didn’t know each other. That they had totally different pursuits, languages and priorities, however a single selection.

Constructing Assist

After the loss of life of Francis on April 21, cardinals from world wide started arriving in Rome. They joined highly effective gamers within the Vatican who ran the church’s paperwork, together with Cardinal Prevost, whose profession Francis had boosted.

Regardless of his intimate understanding of the Vatican, Cardinal Prevost was nonetheless among the many newbies, having been a cardinal not even for 2 years. And he had questions in regards to the conclave.

He turned to one of many reported front-runners, Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle of the Philippines, for assist.

“‘How does this work?’” the American stated, based on Cardinal Tagle, who recounted the dialog. “I had expertise in a conclave,” Cardinal Tagle stated, “and he didn’t.”

In contrast to Cardinal Tagle, he additionally didn’t have the title recognition thought of needed in an election amongst so many new cardinals who barely knew each other. With no excessive profile or apparent base of help, the Chicago-born Villanova graduate moved beneath the radar.

“I didn’t even know his title,” Cardinal David of the Philippines stated.

However Cardinal Prevost was not an entire unknown. As the previous chief of the Order of St. Augustine, which operates across the globe, and because the head of the Vatican workplace overseeing the world’s bishops, he had developed highly effective connections and backers. First amongst them had been Francis, who put his profession on the quick observe. And his many years in Peru, fluent Spanish and management of the Pontifical Fee for Latin America gave him deep, and decisive, relationships on the continent.

“We nearly all know him. He’s considered one of us,” stated Cardinal Baltazar Enrique Porras Cardozo of Venezuela, who has identified him for many years.

Within the weeks earlier than the conclave, the cardinals participated in a collection of personal conferences to debate their considerations about the way forward for the church. In contrast to Francis, who made his mark with a brief speech sharing his imaginative and prescient for the church, a number of cardinals stated that Cardinal Prevost’s remarks didn’t stand out. “Like everybody else,” stated Cardinal Juan José Omella Omella of Spain.

Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco of France, the archbishop of Algiers, additionally couldn’t recall what the American had stated, however he obtained to speak to him on the sidelines of the conferences — which was vital, he stated, as a result of he was more and more being talked about as a candidate primarily based on his “unimaginable” résumé, fluent Italian, popularity as a average and connection to Francis. The cardinal began asking round to individuals who had labored with the American to vet him, and realized that he listened and labored effectively in teams. “I did my job,” Cardinal Vesco stated. “I’ve to vote. I’ve to know the particular person.”

Cardinal Wilton Gregory of america additionally stated that Cardinal Prevost had engaged “fairly successfully” within the smaller group discussions with cardinals.

These extra intimate settings performed to Cardinal Prevost’s strengths, as he had gained a popularity round Rome as a studiously ready, collegial and arranged collaborator, particularly as a high Vatican division head.

“I simply admire the best way he runs a gathering,” Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago, his hometown, stated. “I imply, that’s onerous to do, if you’ve obtained folks of various language teams and cultures, and also you’re making an attempt to advise a pope on who needs to be a bishop, and also you’re listening to all these folks.”

On Saturday, Might 3, 5 days earlier than the conclave, the cardinals drew tons and assigned key roles. With 127 of the 133 who finally voted in attendance, Cardinal Prevost was chosen to help in operating the every day conferences earlier than they have been sequestered and voting started.

Because the totally different factions argued in these every day conferences in regards to the future route of the church, the cardinals from the Americas appeared to coalesce round him.

Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, an outspoken and gregarious determine, stated he tried to get to know his fellow American higher at a breakfast.

Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller of Germany famous an electoral base that appeared to be forming, saying, “it’s a very good variety of cardinals from South America, North America.”

Cardinal Porras of Venezuela stated that cardinals from Latin America and america appeared on the identical web page about Cardinal Prevost. “When you could have friendship first,” he stated, “all the pieces is less complicated.”

The extra the cardinals realized about Cardinal Prevost, the extra they preferred, cardinals stated. “Bob, this might be proposed to you,” Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin of Newark, N.J., stated he instructed Cardinal Prevost quickly earlier than the conclave started.

Cardinal Prevost had loads of the expertise they have been on the lookout for, stated Cardinal Vincent Nichols of England. He had the center of a missionary, scholarly depth and information of the world. He had run a diocese as a bishop, which put him in shut contact with parishioners, however had additionally labored within the Curia, the Roman paperwork that helps govern the church.

It didn’t escape the cardinals, Cardinal Nichols stated, that Cardinal Parolin, the Vatican’s high diplomat, who was being pushed by his supporters out and in of the conclave, had deep expertise solely within the church paperwork.

“We’re not silly,” he stated.

Shortly Shifting Fortunes

On Wednesday, after an extended and solemn procession into the Sistine Chapel, the cardinals gathered at their assigned seats and took their vows. Simply earlier than 6 p.m. the doorways closed for the start of the conclave.

The meditation initially, remarks on the gravity of the duty at hand, ran about an hour, so lengthy that Cardinal Parolin, who was operating the conclave, requested them in the event that they wished to name it an evening and delay the primary vote till the subsequent morning.

“We didn’t have dinner, and there have been no breaks — rest room breaks — both,” stated Cardinal David of the Philippines, however the group determined that it wished a vote.

As voting obtained underway round 7:30 p.m., the delay, with no rationalization to the skin world, induced a stir among the many ready crowds. It appeared maybe that the cardinals had already picked a pope who was getting dressed to return out onto the balcony.

As a substitute, the primary vote that evening amounted to what Cardinal Omella of Spain known as “a little bit of a preliminary ballot.”

“Within the first vote, there have been a number of candidates who gained vital votes,” Cardinal Lazarus You Heung-sik of South Korea stated, based on the South Korean information company Yonhap. Vatican insiders stated that these candidates included Cardinals Parolin, Erdo and Prevost.

That’s when the cardinals returned to the guesthouse and began discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the boys.

“As soon as we’re in Santa Marta, there was discuss particular person candidates,” Cardinal Nichols of England stated. “That’s what we’re speculated to do.”

Cardinal Müller of Germany, a distinguished conservative critic of Francis whom the late pope had fired from his place because the church’s high doctrinal official, stated he talked to the Latin Individuals about Cardinal Prevost and was instructed that he was “not divisive.”

The local weather for Cardinal Prevost appeared to be rising more and more constructive. The election was coming to him.

The subsequent morning’s votes — the second and third of the conclave — made the image clear.

“Within the fourth vote, the ballots overwhelmingly shifted” to Cardinal Prevost, Cardinal You of South Korea stated.

Cardinal Müller sat behind the American front-runner within the Sistine Chapel and observed that he appeared calm. Cardinal Tagle, who sat subsequent to Cardinal Prevost, observed him taking deep breaths as votes amassed in his favor.

“I requested him, ‘Would you like a sweet?’ and he stated ‘Sure,’” Cardinal Tagle stated.

Throughout one of many votes, Cardinal Tobin, as he held his poll excessive and put it within the urn, turned and noticed Cardinal Prevost, whom he had identified for about 30 years.

“I took a have a look at Bob,” Cardinal Tobin of New Jersey stated, “and he had his head in his arms.”

Later within the afternoon, they voted once more, then counted the ballots one after the other. When Cardinal Prevost reached 89 votes, the two-thirds majority threshold wanted to change into pope, the room erupted in a standing ovation. “And he remained seated!” Cardinal David stated. “Anyone needed to pull him up. We have been all teary-eyed.”

Because the counting continued and the votes for Cardinal Prevost neared triple digits, Cardinal Parolin needed to ask them to sit down down so they might end.

“He obtained a really, very giant majority of votes,” Cardinal Désiré Tsarahazana of Madagascar stated.

After his election, cardinals enthusiastically congratulated the brand new pope. A brief and uncontentious conclave was over and Leo XIV stepped by the crimson curtains onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica and the world stage.

Cardinal Tagle, the onetime favourite who days earlier had been requested by the American in regards to the guidelines, instructed him: “‘If there’s something you wish to change in regards to the conclave guidelines — it’s all in your arms now.’”

Aie Balagtas See contributed reporting from Manila; Josephine de La Bruyère from Vatican Metropolis; and Choe Sang-Hun from Seoul.