Archdiocese of Cologne / Erzbischof Rainer
VATICAN CITY // Cardinal Walter Kasper recently declared that “a vast majority” was hoping for the election of a “second Francis” at the conclave, but apparently not all German cardinals think the same.
At least that’s what veteran German journalist Evelyn Finger, correspondent of Die Zeit, Germany’s largest weekly newspaper, told CatholicVote.
“I interviewed Cardinal Woelki before the conclave, and he certainly has a different opinion,” Finger said.
Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki has been the archbishop of Cologne, Germany, since his installation on September 20, 2014. He succeeded Pope Benedict’s close friend and supporter Cardinal Joachim Meisner. Cardinal Woelki previously served as archbishop of Berlin.
To prove her statement, Finger shared with CatholicVote a short excerpt of the interview she had with him:
“Therefore, said Wolke, I believe that the Church needs a Pope with the warm heart of Pope Francis, a Pope who, with the wisdom of Pope Benedict, is able to distinguish between what is essential in tradition and therefore should be preserved, a Pope who, with the strength of mind of St. Paul VI and St. John Paul II, has the humility to consult before making decisions in the spirit of true synodality, with the help of a contemporary Curia and, last but not least, through his College of Cardinals as his Senate.”
Unlike Cardinal Kasper, Cardinal Woelki is a voting cardinal currently participating at the conclave.
