Prevost was elected 2 years before the Conclave

 

Cardinal: Conclave began long before the actual election

Rom - Cardinal Ladislav Nemet from Belgrade has spoken about the conclave in public on several occasions. Now he tells us how long the cardinals have been discussing a successor to Francis and how communication within the college was.

Published  on 30.05.2025 

According to Belgrade Cardinal Ladislav Nemet, the election of Pope Leo XIV was the result of a long preparatory process that began two years ago. In an interview with Vatican News on Thursday, Nemet said that the 2023 and 2024 world synods had raised the question of how things could continue after Francis, who had "brought about so many new things in the Church".

This was discussed particularly intensively at the World Synod last autumn, when Pope Francis surprisingly appointed twenty new cardinals. At that time, the main question was whether what Francis had initiated could be continued. The conclave itself was "the last point of a process that began much earlier", said the cardinal from Belgrade.

Cardinals call for annual meetings

Despite their different backgrounds, the cardinals were able to get to know each other early on and develop a common understanding thanks to modern means of communication. There were also opportunities for dialogue between the death of Pope Francis and the conclave. "So it wasn't the case that there was a central group made up of Italians, a central group made up of - let's say - South Americans and so on. We had widely dispersed cardinals who could all talk to each other well," said Nemet.

At the first meeting with Pope Leo, the cardinals had expressed the wish to meet at least once a year in future. They wanted "a precise programme" when they were invited to the consistory so that they could better prepare for the topics. This would also give the Curia the opportunity to "prepare the papal side" so that the meeting would be fruitful for the entire Church, said Nemet.

The Cardinal of Belgrade had already commented publicly on the conclave several times in recent weeks. In particular, his consideration of whether the secrecy during the conclave should be lifted in future caused discussion. He also reported that he had dinner with Pope Leo after the election. (mtr)