By Ferdinand Patinio

PAPAL TRIBUTE. The Immaculate Conception Cathedral of Cubao in Quezon City sets up a tribute corner for Pope Francis at its altar on Monday (April 21, 2025). Pope Francis died at age 88 after suffering from prolonged asthma-like respiratory crisis, according to a Vatican statement. (PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler)

MANILA – Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) President Pablo Virgilio Cardinal David on Tuesday clarified that there are no specific candidates in the conclave to be held following the passing of Pope Francis.

David said the method of choosing the new leader of the Catholic Church is different from that of government politics.

“There is no candidate in the conclave, please do not project our concept of elections like the elections we have been accustomed to in our government,” he said in an interview over Church-run Radio Veritas.

David said the search for the next pope cannot be considered an election but a “retreat” for the Cardinal Electors because it is a time of sincere prayers and reflection with the help of the Holy Spirit.

“We have a great moral and spiritual obligation to enter into the conclave not in the spirit of politics but in the spirit of prayer,” he added.

The Kalookan prelate said no one will aspire to be a pope because of the great responsibility that comes with leading the entire Catholic Church, especially shepherding over a billion Catholics around the world.

At the same time, the CBCP head appealed to the people to unite in prayer especially when the cardinals begin the conclave to be held in the next 15 to 20 days since the passing of Pope Francis, where they will elect a successor.

He also called on the public to avoid sharing unverified information to avoid misinformation especially on important issues.

The Philippines has three Cardinal Electors: David, Manila Archbishop Cardinal Jose Advincula, and Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, who is currently Pro Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization.

According to Vatican data, 135 of the 252 cardinals in the world are Cardinal Electors, most of them appointed by Pope Francis. Pope Benedict XVI and St. John Paul II appointed 108 and five, respectively.

Pope Francis, whose real name is Jorge Mario Bergoglio, passed away due to a stroke and irreversible heart failure at the age of 88.

During his visit to the country in 2015, the Pope celebrated a Mass in Tacloban City, which was severely devastated by Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) in 2013.

The Vatican News reported on Tuesday that the body of the Argentine pontiff will be transferred to St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday at 9 a.m. to lie in state until his funeral on Saturday, April 26, at 10 a.m. (PNA)