Why would the cardinals choose the Hungarian Péter Erdő to be the next Holy Father? Here is what an expert says

Péter Erdő
Photo: MTI

Index asked a Hungarian Vatican expert, a former diplomat of the Hungarian Embassy in the Vatican, Márk Aurél Érszegi, about the chances Hungarian Cardinal Péter Erdő (72) has to win the papal conclave. Furthermore, even PM Orbán expressed his opinion about Erdő and his chances.

Will the cardinals choose Péter Erdő?

According to Index, Érszegi highlighted that the cardinals will measure the state of the church in the first place before they start to lament about who the next pope should be. They would like to elect a pope who they believe can meet the challenges of the present the best. Crucial aspects may be the candidate’s age, organisational abilities, contemplative prayer life, theological knowledge and whether he would continue Pope Francis’s heritage. Moreover, his cultural background can also be a minor factor.

Cardinals regularly vote multiple times because one needs a supermajority to be elected. The moment the candidate winning the supermajority accepts the throne, he becomes the pope and the head-of-state of the Vatican.

Interestingly, Hungarian Cardinal Péter Erdő regularly appears on the list of cardinals having a high chance of being elected the next pope. He is in the 5th or 6th position on those lists. He is one of the most experienced cardinals and one of the most well-known ones, Érszegi said. Many cardinals appreciate his work as the former leader of The Council of Bishops’ Conferences of Europe (CCEE), as he was a relator of the Synod of Bishops, and he organised an International Eucharistic Congress. He is a canon law expert who knows perfectly how the church operates and pays special attention to operating by the rules. You may read more about him HERE.

Péter Erdő
Photo: MTI

According to Italian media outlets, Erdő would take the name John Paul III if elected, since the Polish John Paul II made him a cardinal, Világgazdaság wrote.

PM Orbán about Erdő’s chances

Asked about the chances of Cardinal Péter Erdő, the head of the Hungarian Catholic Church, at the conclave choosing the next pope, PM Orbán refused to speculate and said: “I can say three things for sure. First, Hungary has a lot to thank the Catholic Church for. The second, that Hungary has a lot to thank … Cardinal Péter Erdő for … and that Erdő has an extraordinary intellect”, the Hungarian News Agency (MTI) wrote.

According to Sky News, there are 252 cardinals, but only 135 of them can vote on the Papal Conclave since the rest are above 80. Out of the 135 voting members of the college, “53 are from Europe, 23 from Asia, 20 from North America, 18 from Africa, 17 from South America, and four from Oceania. The country with the most cardinals who can vote is Italy, with 17; the US has 10, while Brazil has seven. The UK has three.”

The conclave is expected to start its work a couple of days after the funeral.

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