It will be a difficult conclave «  »

One of the most important canonical law experts in Germany, Thomas Schüller, said he is expecting a « difficult » conclave as a result of Pope Francis’s death, DPA reports.

The meeting for choosing a new pope will probably be a prolonged one, this expert at the Münster University told DPA. « I think it will be a longer, more complex conclave, as the group of voters is heterogeneous, » he said.

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

« It will be interesting to see if the group oriented to reforms will dominate and agree on a candidate, » Schüller said.

« How should we look at the non-affiliates? Those in Mongolia, Timor or in the places where the Pope called cardinals who are not at all accustomed to the traditions of Rome, but, to hope, have the inner freedom to choose the one he considers best? »

According to Schüller, the greatest achievement of the late Pope was to abolish the fixation of the Catholic Church for Europe – and to lead the Church to the edges. « This can be found in the fact that all peoples and nations are now represented in the Cardinal College. »

The extent to which the reforms imposed by Pope Francis will resist and after his death it depends on his successor, Schüller said. « In other words: as we have seen in 1989, once the spirit of freedom has awakened, it can no longer be back. And Francis empowered the believers. »

Schüller also said that the first pope in South America was a critical pope with those who own power. « They never liked the economic and technological elites. The reason was his conscious desire to follow Jesus: the pastoral care belongs to the poorest and most marginalized. »

His successors will be tried according to this standard, Schüller added.