Five Ways – Apr 25 (2)

Apr 30, 2025

Many thanks to those who commented on the April 23 Five Ways.

With the papal elections so near, let us look at two Philippine Cardinals and the Oblates of Mary Immaculate.

The leading cardinal from Asia for becoming the next pope, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, lived from 1987-91 at Oblate College, Washington, DC, while he was obtaining his doctorate in theology at the Catholic University of America.  Although he does not belong to any religious order, he has worked closely with the many Oblates in the Philippines.  His doctoral director, Father Joseph Komonchak, has described him as brilliant and holy. 

He knows very well the old saying “He who enters the conclave as pope comes out cardinal.”

Another Philippine Cardinal, Orlando Quevedo, is the only current Oblate cardinal.  He is 86 years old, too old to vote in the conclave.  He studied theology at Oblate College, Washington, DC, from 1960-64. Click here for his poignant remembrance of Pope Francis “Cardinal Quevedo’s Heartfelt Tribute to Pope Francis.”

The conclave will start on Wednesday, May 7,  after the last of the 9 Masses for Pope Francis, on Sunday, May 4. It is unlikely that our next pope will be elected on the first ballot, but entirely possible on May 8, when there will be two ballots before noon, and two during the afternoon. One of the new pope’s first decisions will be whether his living quarters will be in the Vatican Palace, where all his predecessors lived during the past 100 years except Pope Francis, or move into the simpler Casa Santa Marta, as Pope Francis did.

Let us pray that the Holy Spirit will guide the cardinals to elect the best possible pope, to succeed Pope Francis. 

In Christ’s love,

Father Harry Winter, O.M.I.