Cardinal Napier: The new pope's main goal should be renewal

He is not taking part in the conclave himself because he has passed the age limit of 80 - Cardinal Wilfrid Fox Napier. He is Archbishop Emeritus of Durban and belongs to the Franciscans. He was still present at the pre-conclave and was able to discuss the profile of the future Pope with the College of Cardinals. He talks about this in an interview with katholisch.de - and whether he has a favourite for the post.

Question: Mr Cardinal, what should the new Pope be like?

Napier: Well, my own idea would be that - just as when we went into the conclave and Francis was elected - it was very clear that most of the cardinals had already spoken before the conclave about what kind of Church they wanted and where they wanted the Pope to lead the Church. And that was a Church that would be renewed in every respect - in its teaching, in its way of life, in its work, in its care for people. It should be renewed in all of this. So I would say: for me, the Pope I would like to see is one who continues these concerns - who continues to work on these issues, in other words, who continues to build on what Pope Francis has already laid the foundations for.

Question: You were present at the pre-conclave. What kind of pope are the cardinals looking for?

Napier: What I heard from many cardinals was that they wanted the new pope to build on what Pope Francis had started and continue in his line. But there were also other topics that they took a closer look at. For example, catechesis - the teaching of the faith to our children and young people - was a very strong concern for many. In countries of the so-called Third World, peace and concern for the poor were central themes, because these are the real challenges they face on a daily basis. World peace was, I think, a major concern for most of them. But a very concrete point was also that the Pope should not try to do everything alone. He must have a team working with him. I think that became very clear.

Question: A stronger team player, working closely with the dicasteries?

Napier: With the dicasteries or with his own team of advisors. And also with the bishops' conferences.

Question: Was there already a tendency towards certain candidates?

Napier: I would say that the cardinals knew that there were some who had played a very visible role in the Vatican until the death of Pope Francis. And therefore one would assume that this person would continue to be suitable for this task. But I haven't heard anyone say that so clearly.

Question: How important is it where a new pope comes from?

Napier: For me it is important that he understands the vision that comes from the College of Cardinals and is prepared to work with that vision. Of course, he will set his own priorities. But I think that if he works in this direction, he will have the majority of cardinals behind him.

Question: And for the cardinals - does the Pope's geographical origin play a role for them?

Napier: It wasn't actually a very important or central issue. Of course, there were some who said - and some reflected on this - that the Church is very active in certain parts of the world. And therefore we need to pay attention to the leadership in these regions. I don't think they meant to say: "He should become pope", but these regions should be taken seriously.

Question: How did you understand that?

Napier: I understood it like this: If the Pope has a circle of advisors, he should make sure that someone from that region where the Church is particularly active or where certain issues are of particular concern is included.

Question: Francis has done that - perhaps his predecessor did too, but Francis much more so.

Napier: Yes, he did. He appointed cardinals from small countries - very small countries where the Catholic Church did not have a particularly strong presence. That was very good. I think he was strongly in favour of a universal Church - a Catholic Church from all parts of the world.

Question: But that was also a problem because there are now many cardinals from different countries... Many of them didn't even know each other. Was that a problem?

Napier: Not a big problem, because no matter where a cardinal comes from - there are always some who know him and others who don't know him. If there is a large concentration of Italian cardinals, for example, that doesn't mean that everyone else knows Italy well. European cardinals may have met more often, but not those from other parts of the world. This was also mentioned - that it would be good if the Pope could convene regular consistories where the cardinals could exchange ideas and better understand what is happening in the Church worldwide. And also so that the Pope can better understand how they can help him.

Question: The new Pope should organise more meetings?

Napier: That was the impression I had, yes.

Question: Would a Pope from Africa or Asia be good and why?

Napier: I think, as we saw with Cardinal Bergoglio from Argentina: There was a certain tradition in that region of the Church, a missionary approach. It was therefore easy for him to transfer this approach to the universal Church. Much of what Pope Francis has done, for example, comes from the Aparecida document - from the Latin American Bishops' Conference. And if a Pope were to come from Asia - the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences is also a body with its own approaches and ideas on how the Church should develop. This can also make an important contribution at world church level. The African churches do the same: they have a very special way of seeing Jesus and relating to him. The African liturgies are very different from the European ones - and also from the Asian ones, I would say.

Question: I know you probably won't answer this question - you don't have to name names - but do you personally have a favourite?

Napier: That's how I would see it: If Pope Francis knew what the College of Cardinals had said before the conclave - and they were very clear: we want a Pope who works as a team - that was one of the first things. Secondly, his main goal should be the renewal of the Church. And if you want to renew the Church, you have to start with marriage and the family. That's the foundation of the Church - it's made up of families. So if you want to renew the Church, you have to make sure that there are strong and healthy families. And I think the new pope should look at what has come out of the two synods on the family: the problems of the family, but also its vocation and mission. The third synod that Pope Francis convened was the Youth Synod. I think in his view this is the next step - these young people will become the next families. So they need to understand their faith and be able to live it well. And finally, this church must be a church of listening - synodality: everyone sits at the table, not one at the top and the others at the bottom.

Question: The US Jesuit James Martin said in a short interview that the name of the new Pope is also an important message for the Church.

Napier: I agree with that. When Bergoglio chose the name Francis... The name Francis was very important.

Question: And it was also a clear sign for people outside the Church. Francis is known worldwide - for environmental protection and creation. You could understand the message.

Napier: Exactly. For people outside the Church, it was much more accessible than Benedict or John Paul - it's not so easy to know the background. But Francis - many people know him. And most people can associate him with peace, poverty and creation.