 "Cardinals stand during the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. AP")
The voting process to choose the next pope will commence next week, and amid this, a bunch of conservative Catholics are pushing for candidates who will be way less liberal than the late Pope Francis was.
Cardinals who were not a fan of Francis for his progressive outlook, some of whom even branded him “anti-Christ”, are all set to vote for a leader who resonates with them on a more political level. The election process will take place on May 7.
‘Concentrate on issues like pro-life, not climate change’
Conservative Catholics were not on board with the late Pope Francis’ stance on issues like same-sex unions, divorce, and immigration.
Princess Gloria von Thurn und Taxis, a German aristocrat and doyenne of the Roman conservative Catholic scene told Politico, “The hope is to have a pontificate that concentrates more on Catholic issues, such as pro-life and family, rather than climate change and immigration.”
Some hard-liners within the Catholic community are vouching for right-wing candidates like Athanasius Schneider, a bishop in Kazakhstan. Schneider is known for his claim that refugees in Europe are a “mass invasion” leading to Islamisation.
‘Nothing like before’
This time’s conclave to pick the next pope is different from the one that happened in 2013, which made Francis the pontiff.
Stephen Schneck, former director of the Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies at the Catholic University of America, told Politico that with the rise of conservative blogs and influencers running campaigns on social media, this year’s conclave is “like nothing I’ve seen before.”
“A gushing flood of analyses, opinions, and actual campaigning by outside groups and influencers is under way," he said.
Leading contenders are growing anxious about what might surface. A video showing Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle — considered one of the top candidates to succeed Francis — singing a karaoke version of John Lennon’s Imagine was shared by the right-wing site LifeSiteNews. Critics have seized on the lyrics, including “Imagine there’s no heaven,” calling it a “surrender to atheism.”