Cardinal John Dew is about to go into conclave to vote for a new pope, becoming the third New Zealander to do so.
Dew, the former Archbishop of Wellington, is among the 133 cardinals gathered in the Vatican to elect a successor to Pope Francis, who died last month.
From tomorrow, Dew and his fellow Cardinals will be locked away from the world as they participate in daily votes in the Sistine Chapel until white smoke billows from the rooftop signalling a new pope is selected.
Read more about how the conclave works here
This is Dew’s first Conclave. He follows in the footsteps of Cardinal Reginald Delargey and Cardinal Thomas Williams – Kiwis who had previously entered conclave in 1978 and 2005, respectively.
Dew said cardinals had been meeting daily to share their perspectives on the needs of the church and what qualities a new pope would need to possess to address said needs.
“Listening to what everyone is saying and the kind of person they’re looking for, and the needs of the Church, it’s been quite inspiring, really, to hear the passion that people have for spreading the work of the Gospel,” Dew said.
“I think one of the things that a new pope will need to do is to continue to try and give hope to the world.
“But as well as being the leader of the Church, he needs to be a world leader who’s prepared to speak out and, in this world of disinformation and misinformation and sometimes lies, someone who stands up for the truth.”
Dew said other cardinals who had previously participated in conclavce described the centuries-old tradition as “divinely inspired”, which offered him insight.
“A couple of the cardinals actually said you can go into the conclave and even have some ideas, but it’s only after a vote or two that things start to clarify,” he recalled.
“When Francis was elected, people hadn’t thought of him, but it became very clear that he was the one. They described that as the work of Holy Spirit.
“And the fact that you’re in a place where you have no contact with anybody else – no cell phones, no computers, no iPads – the whole thing becomes a bit like a retreat and a real time of prayer.”
Dew said finding a successor among a sea of so many contenders also had him feeling some “apprehension”.
“The immensity of the task, the fact that this only happens once every few years, and it has incredible consequences for the Church and for the world, and that I’m part of that, it makes me a bit apprehensive,” he said.
