German Catholic canon law expert predicts ‘difficult’ conclave

One of Germany’s top canon lawyers, Thomas Schüller, says he expects a “difficult” conclave following the death of Pope Francis.

The meeting to elect a new pope will probably be a lengthy one, the expert from the University of Münster told dpa. “I believe it will be a longer, more complex conclave, because the group of electors is heterogeneous,” he said.

Many of the cardinals appointed by Francis in recent years, who come from all parts of the world, cannot be classified as belonging to particular factions or tendencies.

“It will be exciting to see whether the reform-oriented group will prevail and agree on a candidate,” Schüller said.

“And, how should we view the free agents? Those from Mongolia, Timor or wherever the pope has appointed cardinals who are not at all familiar with Roman customs, but hopefully have the inner freedom to choose the one they consider best?”

Schüller said the main achievement of the late pope was to break down the Catholic Church’s fixation on Europe – and to lead the Church to the margins. “This can also be seen in the fact that all peoples and nations are now represented in the College of Cardinals.”

The extent to which Francis’s focus on reform will endure beyond his death depends on who is elected as his successor, he said. “But let’s put it this way: as we saw in 1989, once this spirit of freedom has been awakened, it cannot be pushed back into the tube. And Francis has empowered the faithful.”

Schüller noted that the first pope from South America was a pope who was critical of the most powerful. “He never liked the economic and theological elites. That was due to his conscious desire to follow Jesus: pastoral care belongs to the poorest and most disenfranchised.”

His successors will be judged by this standard, Schüller added.