Cardinals in 'no rush' to set conclave date
Top clergy want to 'prepare properly' says Lombardi
05 March, 15:24
(ANSA) - Vatican City, March 5 - Cardinals gathered in Rome
are in "no rush" to set a date for the conclave to elect
Benedict XVI's successor as pope, Vatican spokesman Father
Federico Lombardi said Tuesday.Catholic cardinals on Tuesday embarked on their second day of pre-conclave meetings, called the "general congregations", at the Vatican.
The meetings enable the cardinals to get to know each other better, share ideas about what characteristics the next leader of the Catholic Church should have and establish a date for the conclave to elect Benedict XVI's successor.
Lombardi said that the fact that the cardinals have opted not to hold afternoon sessions Tuesday and Wednesday, after holding two sessions in Monday, is "significant" as it suggests they intend to take their time. The spokesman, one of the non-cardinals present during the congregations, said he sensed that the cardinals wanted to "understand how long is needed to properly prepare for such an important event without hurrying things in any way".
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