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VATICAN CITY // Two General Congregations were held at the Vatican May 5 to accommodate the number of cardinals who were set to speak, enabling them to discuss a broad range of topics as the start of the conclave soon approaches.
Up until this point, the Congregation of Cardinals has been meeting once per day, typically in the morning. Today, they met for several hours in the morning, and then again in the evening.
Twenty-six of the 179 cardinals who attended the first session and 20 of the 170 who came to the second spoke. At the first session, attended by 179 cardinals, 26 of them spoke, and at the second, attended by 170, 20 spoke. Back on May 2, In contrast, on May 2 for example, merely 25 cardinals spoke at the one session that was held.
The morning session featured discussions on a number of topics, such as canon law, concern of division in the Church, evangelization, stewardship of the Earth, and war, the Holy See Press Office reported.
A major focus at the first session today was on the missionary nature of the Church, described as a Church that “must not withdraw into herself, but rather accompany every man and woman towards the living experience of the mystery of God,” according to the release.
Care for the poor and the value of humanitarian aid organization Caritas’ work on behalf of the poor were also part of the discussion.
Additionally, “[t]here was no shortage of references to vocations, the family, and educational responsibility towards children,” the release said.
Several speeches referenced Pope Francis’ spiritual leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the discussion also looked at characteristics of the future pope, which included that he “must be present, close, capable of being a bridge and a guide, of favouring access to communion for a disoriented humanity marked by the crisis of the world order; a shepherd close to the real life of the people,” according to the release.
One cardinal also remarked strongly about how many journalists are present at the Vatican, and noted it “as a sign,” the press release states, “that the Gospel retains all its power of meaning even in today’s world: a presence that is also a responsibility.”
The second meeting included questions of ethnicism in the Church and society and the qualities desired in the next pope. Concerns cardinals mentioned included calling for a pontiff who promotes interreligious and intercultural dialogues, according to a second May 5 press release.
Other talks included reflections on migrants as a gift to the Church and supporting their faith lives during their travels and new circumstances, the release states. Current wars were also a major topic of conversation, with, cardinals from war-torn areas sharing testimonies.
Also discussed was “the path of the Synod on Synodality, seen as a concrete expression of an ecclesiology of communion, in which everyone is called to participate, listen and discern together.”