By Martin Bürger
CNA Newsroom, Apr 30, 2025 / 01:08 am
Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki of Cologne has shared his expectations for the upcoming papal conclave in Rome. He anticipates that this conclave will last longer than the one in 2013 that elected Pope Francis.
Woelki expressed his hope for a short conclave but acknowledged that anything is possible. He told EWTN Germany Program Director Martin Rothweiler and CNA Deutsch Rome correspondent Rudolf Gehrig, “I expect it won’t go as quickly as the last conclave. But maybe I’ll be proven wrong. I would be happy about that.”
The conclave in 2013, which led to the election of Pope Francis, lasted only two days, making it one of the shortest in modern history.
Having participated in his second conclave, Woelki described the current atmosphere among the cardinals as “fraternal and cordial.” He noted that many cardinals haven’t seen each other for a long time and are happy to reunite during the general congregations, where they discuss Church matters before the conclave.
