Cardinal Eijk: Pope Leo will restore unity to the Church -- Something is happening with the Young People in Europe

2021: The Bishop of Haarlem-Amsterdam, Bp. Hendriks,
confirming 16 young faithful among them 9 converted young adults
at the FSSP Personal Parish of St. Joseph in the St. Agnes Church in Amsterdam

***

“Pope Leo will restore unity to the Church." -- Cardinal Wim Eijk speaks

One month ago took place the Conclave that elected Robert Francis Prevost to the Throne of Peter: “There are many issues in the Church where there is disagreement, and internal discord is not good for us”

Matteo Matzuzzi

Il Foglio 

June 7, 2025

[Edited to leave just questions and answers]

Rome. 

Cardinal Willem Jacobus Eijk, Archbishop of Utrecht, was at his second Conclave. Today, almost a month after the election of Leo XIV, he tells Il Foglio about his first impressions of the new pope and what the new pontiff's priorities are (or may be). 

In his speeches, Prevost often speaks of unity. Unity also of and in the Church. Is that the case? 

For the historical record: Certificate of Acceptance of the Supreme Pontificate

 

Certificate of the Public Instrument of Acceptance of the Roman Pontificate by Cardinal Prevost and formal registration of the name he assumed, drawn up by the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations acting as notary. (Source: Office of Pontifical Celebrations X account @UCEPO)

Interestingly, the last native English-speaking pope, Cardinal Nicholas Breakspear (Adrian IV), a cardinal of the order of bishops, also had as his cardinalatial title the Suburbicarian See of Albano.

Before Leo XIV, he had been the only Cardinal of that titular see to be elected Roman Pontiff.

The Fast Election of Leo XIV: Now What? - by Fr. Claude Barthe

 Fr. Claude Barthe

May 8, 2025

In the French Academy, we'd call this an “election of a Marshal”: on the second day of the conclave, in the fourth vote, Robert Francis Prevost just won an absolute majority, faster than Cardinal Ratzinger in 2005 and Cardinal Bergoglio in 2013.

Born in Chicago in 1955, a religious of the Augustinian order, a highly competent jurist with long pastoral experience in Peru, where he became Bishop of Chiclayo, he was called by Pope Francis to become Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops in 2023.

All commentators will now ask whether he will be a faithful follower of Pope Francis. The answer is both yes and no. 

So what to think of the new Pope?

Leo XIV

 It's too soon. 

On the one hand... he is a creature of the Church of Chicago and liberal Villanova University, and the very liberal Catholic Theological Union (even more liberal when he was a student there, in the feverish 1970s);  he has a long life living in the Liberation Theology-filled rural expanses of Peru; on the other, he is a Doctor of Canon Law, after a period in which it was destroyed by arbitrariness.

We are encouraged by his choice of name, by his reasonable opening message, and by his use of the papal mozzetta -- they are all signs of true humility, not the feigned humility of the past few years. We dread the future, we just want peace. Will peace come?...

From Rome: Might it be Today?

Habemus Papam? Maybe?

by Aurelio Porfiri

Rome, May 8, 2025

Many people and seasoned Vatican watchers around the Vatican have the impression that today might be the day the new Pope is elected.

I’ve spoken with individuals who have been following Vatican affairs for decades, and they say it would be surprising if no Pope were elected today. Everyone is waiting for the moment when Cardinal Dominique Mamberti appears on the balcony of St. Peter’s (unless he himself is the one elected) to announce the name of the new Pope to the world.

What To Do During The Conclave

The last couple weeks were the important ones for any hope of influence. Media articles lifting up good cardinals. Reports exposing bad cardinals. We can only hope the cardinal electors talked with their sheep, read up on their colleagues, chatted with their colleagues on strategy and came up with a Plan A, Plan B and Plan C, if not more.

Parolin, the Front-Runner -- "Double luck," wishes Cardinal Dean at Final Mass before Conclave

 Cardinal Pietro Parolin is the front runner -- no doubt about that. As Rorate said days ago on X/Twitter:

There is no doubt Parolin is the front runner, as Ratzinger in 2005 (for the same reasons), and Bergoglio in 13 (because he had been the second-place in 05).

Since there is no runner-up now (Scola being over 80), this is Parolin’s to lose. (Twitter)

There seems to be an assumption by some that this is being "alarmist." Not true; while a Parolin pontificate would not be a good Catholic's choice, believe us when we say that there are MUCH worse options.

Regardless, being a favorite doesn't mean it's certain, far from it. Two thirds is a MIGHTY number to reach. Nobody knows. (Twitter)

This clear favoritism seems to have been confirmed by a comment made the Cardinal Dean, Cardinal Re, personally to Parolin in the Missa pro Eligendo Pontifice in the Vatican Basilica: "Best of luck... doubly!" (Auguri... doppi!) -- video below:

The New York Times: "Catholics Who Prefer Latin Mass Pin Hopes on a New Pope"

 

Main excerpts below:

Catholics Who Prefer Latin Mass Pin Hopes on a New Pope 

Ruth Graham

The New York Times

May 7, 2025 (page A12)

About 140 people came to the Sweetest Heart of Mary church in Detroit for the Traditional Latin Mass at noon the Sunday after Easter. Incense and organ music wafted through the ornate sanctuary, built by Polish Catholics in the late 19th century. It was a beautiful sunny spring afternoon, and the lilacs by the rectory were in bloom.

THE CONCLAVE: Waiting for the White Smoke - by Roberto de Mattei

Roberto de Mattei

Corrispondenza Romana

Rome, May 7, 2025

While we wait for the white smoke to rise over the Sistine Chapel, we ask ourselves: what will be the first words that the new Pope will pronounce from the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica? "Brothers and sisters, good evening," like Pope Francis, or "Praised be Jesus Christ," like John Paul II? Or a formula like that of Benedict XVI, who after saying: "After the great Pope John Paul II, the cardinals have elected me, a simple and humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord," and added: "In the joy of the risen Lord, trusting in his permanent help, let us move forward. The Lord will help us and Mary, his Most Holy Mother, will be on our side." Certainly, the words and gestures with which the future Pope will inaugurate his pontificate will already reveal a trend, offering a first element of discernment to the sensus fidei of the Catholic people.

Whatever name he takes, will the Pontiff elected by the College of Cardinals want to follow in the footsteps of Francis or break with his pontificate, which many say has been a catastrophe for the Church? The candidacy of Pope Francis' Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, poses serious problems in this respect. In fact, it has never happened in the modern age, with the exception of Pius XII, that a Secretary of State became Pope, because the cardinal electors generally want to emphasize in their choice that each pontificate is different from the previous one. 

Conclave in an Era of Cultural Shift

 by Kevin Tierney

for Rorate Caeli

May 6, 2025

Thomas Cole, Desolation (1836)

On May 7^th, 2025, the world will turn its attention to Rome for the papal conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis.  In a certain way of looking at things, it is a reminder that Catholicism, and only Catholicism, can capture the attention of the world when it comes to Christianity.  That even her foes watch with great interest is a reminder of this fact.  In addition to the importance, everyone loves a good story of intrigue, and conclaves are full of them.  Already we are seeing the intrigue afoot.

A RORATE Guide: The Who's Who of Bad Options in the Conclave

Rorate has chosen to provide a list that is useful for identifying those who may not be the best choices available for the Cardinal Electors in the 2025 Conclave -- for doctrinal or moral reasons, or simply for reasons of administrative ineptitude.

After 12 years of doctrinal disaster, moral ambiguity, and administrative authoritarianism and chaos, the Church deserves unity and peace.

This is our guide of problematic Cardinals: if you hear one of the names below after the Habemus Papam... it could be a sign of trouble in the years ahead: small, middle-sized, or huge problems...

The Who's Who of Bad Options in the Conclave

by Serre Verweij

May 1, 2025

Renewal and Restoration in the Church: An Open Letter to the Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church

(The document below may be downloaded as a PDF here.)

An Open Letter to the Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church

Your Eminences:

The following document emerged from discussions over the past year among theologians, pastors, and canonists, who had been encouraged to produce this document by a senior cardinal. Originally our thought had been to seek for signatories—knowing, as we do, how many notable figures in the Catholic Church are in agreement with or sympathetic to the points made herein—but in view of the suddenness of the upcoming conclave, we have decided to publish the statement as it is.

In publishing this statement, we do not wish to take upon ourselves tasks to which we have not been called by God. Rather, we simply wish to offer, out of love for the Church and according to our lights, some suggestions that may be helpful to those who have received the awesome responsibility of governing Christ’s flock. This we do, moreover, on the traditional feast of St. Catherine of Siena, a laywoman who was a light to the Church in her time, and reminds us of the need to speak with boldness or parrhesia, as befits disciples of the one Master.

The authors recognise that “in vast areas of the world, the faith is in danger of dying out like a flame which no longer has fuel” (Benedict XVI, Letter to Bishops), while errors and deviations abound within the Church; and they hope that the proposals here set forth constitute a timely call to metanoia.

With the assurance of our fervent prayers to the Holy Ghost for the College of Cardinals especially in the upcoming Conclave, we humbly ask your prayerful consideration of the content that follows.

April 30, 2025

St. Catherine of Siena

(usus antiquior)

Cardinal Burke: "Given the gravity of the situation"

The Sacred College of Cardinals during the General Congregation of Monday, April 28th last, has set the date for the beginning of the Conclave: May 7, 2025. Given the gravity of the situation, I ask that those who will complete the Novena on May 5th next, immediately begin a second Novena, continuing to pray the Novena Prayer until the new Successor of Saint Peter is elected. For those who have begun the novena after April 26th, I ask you to continue praying the Novena Prayer, until the new Successor of Saint Peter is elected. If you have not yet begun to pray the Novena Prayer, I urge you to begin praying it immediately.

I thank all who have been praying the Novena Prayer or who will begin praying it now. We can be confident that Our Lady of Guadalupe will intercede powerfully for the election of a good and holy Shepherd of the Universal Church.

Raymond Leo Cardinal BURKE

***

April 29, 2025

2025 Conclave Novena Prayer

Conclave Chronicles: Francis died too fast, and the College of Cardinals is adrift

 by Jaime Gurpegui

for InfoVaticana

Rome, April 29, 2025

Rome is living these days in an atmosphere of unreality. The sentiment conveyed in the Eternal City, in the midst of the pre-conclave period, is a mixture of bewilderment, discretion, and silence.

May it be a Minimal Papacy: For a Pontificate of the Essential, with no more Personalism, Narcissism, and Despotism

Camillo Langone 

Il Foglio

April 24, 2025

Limited to its essential tasks. The head of the Church is not the Pope, but Christ. Let the new Pontiff's motto be John the Baptist's words about Jesus, “He must increase, I decrease.” 

May it be a minimal Papacy. A Papacy like the Minimal State theorized by liberal philosopher Robert Nozick, that is, limited to its essential tasks. Few things, but done well. Not only because the vain loudness of an overwhelming Papacy, and an idolatrous and unbelieving Papolatry, disturb my ears. Especially because “the head of the Church is Christ, not the Pope” (Pope John XXIII). Because “the figure of the Pope is praised too much. One risks falling into the cult of personality” (Pope John Paul I). Because “the Pope is not an oracle, he is infallible only on very rare occasions” (Pope Benedict XVI). Let us begin again with the beautiful Gregorian title “Servus servorum Dei.”

A RORATE Guide to the Cardinals and the Conclave

by Serre Verweij

April 26, 2025

[Read our previous piece on the Conclave here.]

The spectre of the coming conclave hangs ever over the heads of more than 130 cardinal electors and 1.2 billion Catholics. Speculation is rife. Will the next Pope be like Pope Francis or more ‘conservative’, like Pope Benedict?

This question is crucial. The Vatican is dealing with grave financial problems. Pope Francis has not been able (or willing) to solve this problem, in spite of the fact that it was part of the reform mandate he received in 2013. The Vatican has also become rather discredited on the foreign policy level. Even worse is the risk of schism resulting from the radical German bishops and their allies in Belgium and Switzerland The Anglican church was torn apart by disagreements over homosexuality. Only an orthodox Pope can ensure this doesn’t happen to the Church of Christ. 

The stakes are even higher due to the extension of the Synod on Synodality. The ‘ecclesial assembly’ in Rome in 2028 risks (further) disempowering the bishops of the Catholic Church and creating a new governance structure, where the Pope and (handpicked) laymen and laywomen (and activists) call the shots. Early in Francis’ pontificate progressives, and even some moderates, were hoping for greater collegiality between Rome and local bishops’. Instead, the opposite happened. Francis’ divisive policies and unfinished curial reforms have destabilized the Curia itself and raise the possibility of laywomen serving as prefects and providing dictates to the bishops of the world. 

The next Pope will need knowledge of canon law, theology and the inner workings of the Curia. Who is up to the task? What heretics or corrupt figures might be put forward? Rorate Caeli has previously warned of a repeat of the 2013 conclave, where false candidacies and rumours were used to distract from the real progressive candidate, Jorge Bergoglio. Who could the real candidates be and who are the false leads?

Unlikely progressives

Cardinal Müller in Interview: "Pope a successor of Peter, not of his predecessor"; "Pope not a symbol of secularized religion"; "We cannot accept that atheistic Communists, enemies of humanity, write our catechism books."

 Cardinal Müller granted the following interview to Iacopo Scaramuzzi, for Italian daily Repubblica, and published yesterday:

Iacopo Scaramuzzi

Repubblica

Rome, April 24, 2025

“The future pope is not a successor of his predecessor but a successor of Peter": thus German Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller, a member of the conservative wing of the College of Cardinals.

Your Eminence what are your feelings at this moment?

The Death of Pope Francis: The End of An Era? - by Roberto de Mattei

At 7:35 a.m., on April 21, 2025, Easter Monday, Jorge Mario Bergoglio's soul separated from his mortal body to present itself to the Divine Judgment. Only on the day of the Last Judgment will we know what the sentence of the supreme tribunal to which each of us must one day present ourselves was for Pope Francis. Let us pray today for the suffrage of his soul, as the Church publicly prays in its novendials, and, precisely because the Church is a public society, let us join our prayers with an attempt at a historical judgment on his pontificate. 

About the Conclave: Unusual Specific Names You Read About Will Have Been Selected to Deceive You and Manipulate the Process

News pages and newspapers are filled today with reports on who are those most likely to succeed Francis as the next Roman Pontiff. While Romans have for centuries cautioned outsiders that, "he who enters [the conclave] as pope, leaves as a Cardinal," this is not exactly what we have in mind.

What we do have in mind is what happened in the 2013 conclave, a conclave that should have never taken place and was caused by the absurd and indefensible decision of Benedict XVI to resign the papacy instead of remaining in office until his natural death.

It is quite possible that Benedict had in mind a specific successor: Cardinal Scola. If so, he did not make any effort to have him elected. But the greatest manipulation, both in the news and in rumors, regarded the election of Cardinal Bergoglio. Despite being already over the age of retirement, he had been the progressive candidate in the 2005 conclave, and therefore was a plausible candidate. 

Francis: A Pope who was One of a Kind

Pope Francis was truly inimitable. A Pope to remember, and one of a kind. 

How to describe such a unique pontiff? Coming from "the end of the world," as he said, he truly represented a peculiar voice.