‘Like no other’? A few media outlets have made that argument today, but it’s actually much more of a conclave like most of the others. The true anomaly came in 2013 when the conclave took place under the nominal guidance of a living pope, after Benedict XVI unexpectedly took the first papal retirement in 600 years. This time, the conclave follows the much more traditional pattern of a true sede vacante status in the Holy See.
‘Like no other’ is a reference, apparently, to the “diverse” composition of the cardinal-electors, as ABC’s commentator notes below. However, the cardinalate has always been ‘diverse,’ geographically as well as philosophically. The question this time is how that fits with the issues facing the Catholic Church, as well as those raised by the direction of the Pope Francis pontificate.
As of an hour ago or so, all of the speculation has become moot. The doors have closed and the conclave has begun:
‘EXTRA OMNES’
The doors to the Sistine Chapel are now closed as the centuries-old ritual to select a new pope begins.
Read more: https://t.co/MlxowEsF6n pic.twitter.com/J6xaG1OfYx
— ABC News (@ABC) May 7, 2025
Traditionally, only one vote will take place today, which should produce smoke of one kind or another by 6 pm in Rome. Needless to say, that smoke is unlikely to be white, not at this stage of the discernment. The subsequent days will have four ballots, two in the morning and two in the afternoon, although we will only see smoke twice. That will continue until a new pontiff is elected by a supermajority of the cardinal electors.
Diversity might matter in these discussions, but less on ethnicity and more on approach. Africa will have its largest conclave representation, and that means their insistence on doctrinal discipline may influence the selection of the next pontiff. That alarmed one Jesuit cardinal, who drew criticism for shooting his mouth off about it:
Pope Francis’ former point man on migrants has drawn criticism by saying in an article published Sunday that some African cardinals make him “shudder” and that he believes “conservatives” are calling for an African pope to further their agenda.
Cardinal Michael Czerny, a Jesuit who served as prefect at the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development in the last years of Pope Francis’ pontificate, made the derisive comments to The New York Times in the context of the African continent being deeply opposed to the LGBTQ agenda.
“I can think of some African cardinals — they make me shudder,” Cardinal Czerny said in the article published May 4. When the newspaper asked whether conservative Catholics were rallying behind an African pope as a “Trojan horse” to further their agenda, Cardinal Czerny replied: “Certainly, certainly, certainly, and that’s why it’s so, so, so stupid to say things like Africa’s time has come.”
Needless to say, this may animate the cardinals from Africa to assert their positions:
Cardinal Czerny’s comments are likely to embolden African cardinals who have never welcomed such animosity to their traditional stances on moral issues, especially when it comes to homosexuality.
Having talked with a couple of bishops from Africa, that’s an oversimplification of their concerns. The African bishops and priests are attempting to convert animists who practice polygamy and other non-traditional family structures, and who are very hostile to homosexuality. They want the church to stick closely to its entire teaching on family life so as to address polygamy, sexual exploitation, contraception, abortion, and other issues as well as homosexuality. Their lives have literally depended on it. The focus on homosexuality alone is a Western-media prism.
That brings me to another point raised at the Synod on the Family a decade ago. The African bishops are increasingly alarmed at what they see as Western cultural colonialism imposed by supposed “charity,” The NGOs and governments who supply aid to their communities attach strings to aid to force support for contraception, abortion, and non-traditional family models. This may be their best forum to demand more assistance in pushing back against the undermining of teaching Catholic doctrine.
Bear in mind, though, that this doesn’t necessarily mean the cardinals of Africa will demand the election of one of their own. That’s not how cardinals discern in a conclave anyway. But to the extent that these cardinals insist on discernment of these issues as a priority for the next pontificate, the potential candidates will reflect a sensitivity to the situation in Africa, as well as in Asia, where the church and its members face similar pressures, if not necessarily as deadly.
And make no mistake about it — the martyrdom in Africa is real and literal:
Anti-Christian persecution watchdogs have on different reports said Nigeria is perhaps the world’s worst country to live as a Christian.
The latest mass killings were recorded during this year’s Holy Week, Fulani jihadist herdsmen killing about 170 people in Nigeria’s Plateau and Benue States.
And this wasn’t an isolated event. International Christian Concern reports that at least 300 Christians were massacred in Nigeria in the first three months of 2025. Dozens have been abducted, and thousands displaced.
A report by the Catholic-inspired NGO, International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law, Intersociety released on April 10, 2023, stated that since 2009 when Boko Haram insurgents began their campaign to annihilate Christianity in Africa’s most populous nation, over 50,000 Christians had been killed.
That has to be part of the discernment in this conclave, and may well influence the choice of the cardinal electors. In fact, it’s difficult to think of a more existential crisis for the church than the one it is experiencing in Africa.
For now, though, we will all have to wait for the white smoke to emerge from the Sistine Chapel to determine how the discernment actually proceeded. Catholics will put their trust in the Holy Spirit for wisdom in this selection, based on Matthew 16:18. The rest of the observers may wish to place their faith in the wisdom of crowds, even one as small as the 133 cardinals in this conclave.
