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Cardinal Suharyo ready for papal conclave in Vatican
The upcoming conclave to elect the successor of the late Pope Francis will be the first for Suharyo since he was appointed cardinal by the Argentinian pontiff in 2019.
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Cautious response: Jakarta Archbishop Ignatius Suharyo (center), addresses the press as he arrives for a congregation meeting on Tuesday, in Rome. (AFP/Dimitar Dilkoff)
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fter arriving in Vatican City on Sunday, Jakarta Archbishop Ignatius Suharyo is ready to participate in the papal conclave to elect the next leader of the Catholic Church, which is slated to kick off on Wednesday.
Suharyo departed from Jakarta to the Vatican on Saturday evening, leaving the capital with a “joyful” feeling and carrying a pen in his pocket to prepare for the papal election, he said, as quoted by a statement issued by the Jakarta Archdiocese.
After flying for over 17 hours through Qatar, the Jakarta archbishop spent his Monday in the Vatican leading an Easter Eucharist celebration, as well as engaging with the city’s enthused crowd before being secluded behind the closed doors of the Sistine Chapel in the next few days.
Asked by reporters in Vatican City about clues for the 267th pope, Suharyo said briefly: “No, no, not yet”, as shown in a clip shared by the Jakarta Archdiocese on Instagram. But he conveyed his optimism that the conclave would be a relatively brief affair that will take no longer than three days.
The upcoming conclave will be the first for Suharyo since he was appointed cardinal by Pope Francis in 2019. Indonesia was absent during the 2013 conclave, as Suharyo’s predecessor, Julius Riyadi Darmaatmadja, refrained from coming to the Vatican citing health reasons.
Reformer’s successor?
Facing another question on whether the world should expect a conservative or progressive-leaning pontiff, Suharyo replied in Italian: “There are many cardinals who speak in the name of Pope Francis.”
