Scherer says conclave is not like political election
No electoral campaign, just a matter of listening to God
11 March, 18:38
(ANSA) - Sao Paulo, March 11 - Cardinals who will gather
Tuesday in the Sistine Chapel for the conclave to select the
226th pontiff will have to listen to God as they are not taking
part in political elections, Cardinal Odilo Scherer, Archbishop
of Sao Paulo, was quoted by the Brazilian press as saying on
Monday.
"The conclave is not like a political election, it is not a
matter of doing an electoral campaign", said the cardinal, who
is seen as a front-runner along with Italy's Angelo Scola.
"It is really a matter of entering a climate of prayer and
to listen to what God wants for his Church"."I ask everybody to join us cardinals in prayer for the conclave, to choose he who will be Peter's successor", added Scherer.
A Brazilian of German descent, Scherer, 63, leads the world's largest diocese in the world's largest Catholic country and is seen as a modernizer with a strong doctrinal grounding, embodying the old and the new while tweeting prolifically.
He is familiar with the Curia and has acquired notoriety for trying to push back against the rise of Pentecostal churches in Brazil. However, some say he lacks the charisma needed to become the successor of Benedict XVI.
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