Conservative Catholics want to make the Vatican "great again" - Politico
Kyiv • UNN
Conservative Catholics are pushing for the election of a Pope who would uphold traditional values and be an ally of the United States. They criticize Francis' liberal policies.
Conservative Catholics are insisting that the next Pope be more inclined to a traditional worldview. Previously, conservatives were outraged by Francis' more conciliatory stance on same-sex unions and divorces, his defense of migrants, and the Vatican's deal with China, which gave Beijing the right to approve bishops, Politico reports, writes UNN.
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We hope for a pontificate that focuses more on Catholic issues such as the protection of life and family, rather than climate change and immigration.
Among the conservative candidates for the Holy See are Cardinal Robert Sarah of Guinea, a well-known supporter of the Latin Mass, which Francis fought against, and American Cardinal Raymond Burke, a traditionalist who supported US President Donald Trump.
We are seeing a paradox that the leadership is more liberal, but there is a huge number of conversions and a huge growth of traditionalism. Cardinals realize that even if some of the leaders may be liberal, they know that their flocks on the ground are actually leaning towards more conservative views.
Catholics for Catholics held a $1,000-a-ticket prayer event for Trump at their Mar-a-Lago resort.
Yep also recalled that 56% of Catholics voted for Trump.
This same bloc of people is looking at Rome and wants their Pope to be traditional and a strong ally of the United States and our worldview, for example, regarding the protection of our borders.
Politico reports that even before Francis' death, a campaign began on Easter Monday to discredit his reforms, led by well-funded traditionalist Catholic non-profit groups based in the US that are working with conservative politicians to promote a cocktail of Catholic doctrine and nationalism.
Among the most famous is the Napa Institute, which seeks to combine "conservative theology and libertarian economics with an emphasis on apologetics, sexual ethics and counter-cultural anti-secularization." Another organization, Sophia Institute Press, funds the traditionalist Catholic blog One Peter Five, which regularly exposed Francis and collaborated with the Catholic television giant EWTN, which was used to accuse Francis of concealing abuse by clerics.
One project, the Red Hat Report, launched in 2018, aimed to use former FBI investigators to compile dossiers on each cardinal in the style of political opposition research, noting their theological and pastoral priorities. The influence of the conservative right may also increase due to the Vatican's increasingly dire financial situation: Reuters reported that the revenue shortfall is as high as EUR 83 million.
Given that the Vatican is reportedly seeking external funding, the choice of the next Pope may be vulnerable to wealthy right-wing donors in the United States, one senior church official told Politico.
He also added that the topic was raised at pre-conclave meetings, the so-called general congregations, which cardinals attended daily over the past week. The next few days before the start of the conclave, which will elect the next Pope, are critical as conservative Catholics try to get their voices heard by the cardinals who are voting.
It is extremely important that the new Pope take the reins again and reaffirm what Catholics have believed for 2,000 years.
However, even the most conservative groups admit that they face an uphill battle. With 80 percent of the voting cardinals appointed by Francis, their best hope may be to block more modern candidates.
Conservatives are also hampered by the lack of a clear leader. Cardinal George Pell, who died in 2020, was a "king, lobbyist and key player in power," said a well-connected Vatican ambassador, but after his death "there is no clear leader of the pack."
Hardliners are doing their best, but given the mathematics of the conclave, they don't really believe that the next Pope will be one of them.
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The conclave for electing the new Pope will begin on May 7, a decision that was made during a general meeting of cardinals on March 28, the Vatican confirmed.