Cardinals discuss importance of supporting new Pope
May 07, 2025
On the afternoon of May 5, members of the College of Cardinals met in their eleventh general congregation since Pope Francis’s death. “About 170” of the 252 members of the College of Cardinals—including 132 of the 133 cardinal electors—were in attendance, the Vatican newspaper reported.
“The commitment and responsibility of the cardinals in supporting the new Pope—called to be a true shepherd, a leader who knows how to go beyond the confines of the Catholic Church alone, promoting dialogue and the construction of relationships with other religious and cultural worlds—were reaffirmed by the College of Cardinals,” according to the report, which continued:
About 20 interventions focused on themes of great pastoral and ecclesial relevance, starting with the question of ethnic groups within the Church and society. The phenomenon of migration was discussed, recognizing migrants as a gift for the Church, but also underlining the urgency of accompanying them and supporting their faith in contexts of mobility and change. On several occasions, ongoing wars were mentioned, with tones often marked by the direct testimony of cardinals from regions affected by conflict.
The journey of the Synod on synodality was discussed again, seen as a concrete expression of an ecclesiology of communion, in which everyone is called to participate, listen and discern together. The challenge represented by the spread of sects in various parts of the world was also highlighted.
The eleventh general congregation was the penultimate such gathering, before the final general congregation the following morning.
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