The College of Cardinals began the papal conclave on Wednesday, a process that will ultimately lead to the election of a new pope, following the death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday and the subsequent vacancy of the throne of St Peter. Among the hopefuls is Hungarian Cardinal Péter Erdő, who addressed the faithful in a video message on Tuesday.
‘The message of resurrection, carrying the hope of eternal life and addressed to all humanity, can be born as a result of the conclave,’ said the Archbishop of Esztergom and Budapest in an interview published by the Esztergom–Budapest Archdiocese on Facebook. The video was recorded a day before Cardinal Erdő moved into St Martha’s House in the Vatican.
Attending his third conclave, Erdő noted that this was the occasion on which he most strongly felt, during pre-conclave discussions, that many cardinals were not only hoping for but actively asking for the Holy Spirit to guide them. ‘Perhaps we will feel the Holy Spirit working in the Sistine Chapel,’ he emphasized.
Cardinal Erdő recalled that, in one of his writings, Pope John Paul II described an imagined future papal election as a battle between evil spirits and the Holy Spirit—one in which the latter would ultimately prevail. ‘The important thing is to let the Holy Spirit guide one's way and not to listen to other spirits,’ he said, adding that if this happened, the election could become ‘a very beautiful papal election’ that would bring a message of hope to the world.
‘The Church was currently “proclaiming hope to a world without hope”’
He said the Church was currently ‘proclaiming hope to a world without hope’—a world that, he argued, is without hope because it has become pagan. Those who believe there is nothing beyond this life, he said, pursue earthly things with excessive fervour and may adopt a more militant, selfish attitude towards others. But those who hope, in the Christian sense, understand that Christ’s resurrection is not unique—it is a call to humanity to resurrection and eternal life. According to the cardinal, proclaiming such hope is particularly difficult today because of the ‘atheism of negligence’ that, in his view, prevails in the Western world.
Cardinal Erdő expressed hope that the conclave would deliver a message not only for the Church but for all humanity—one that would be a clear representation of Christ’s hope. ‘It is not enough to try to encourage people to give humanitarian aid with worldly arguments,’ he said, concluding that ‘it is in the light of the ultimate hope...that our lives can become generous.’
Watch the full video below:
During the papal conclave, 252 cardinals gather in strict secrecy in the Sistine Chapel, with two ballots held each day until a candidate secures a two-thirds majority. After each vote, the ballots are burned: black smoke indicates no decision; white smoke signals that a new pope has been elected. Only cardinals under the age of 80—currently 135—are eligible to vote.
According to Polymarket, the leading candidates include Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State; Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines; Cardinal Matteo Zuppi; and Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa.
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