Cardinal Baselios Cleemis: The Sole Representative from Kerala to Elect the New Pope
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Synopsis
Cardinal Baselios Cleemis, the only cardinal from Kerala among four from India, is set to leave for the Vatican to participate in the election of a new Pope following the passing of Pope Francis. The voting process will occur next month, and the new Pope will be elected amidst strict protocols.
Key Takeaways
- Cardinal Baselios Cleemis is the sole cardinal from Kerala participating in the upcoming Pope election.
- The election process involves a two-thirds majority vote among the cardinals.
- Pope Francis passed away, leading to the need for a new Pope.
- Four cardinals from India are involved in this significant electoral event.
- Kerala has three main Catholic rites representing a large Christian demographic.
Thiruvananthapuram, April 21 (NationPress) Among the four cardinals from India tasked with electing the new Pope, the only representative from Kerala, Cardinal Baselios Cleemis, is preparing to depart for the Vatican in the early hours of Tuesday.
The 64-year-old serves as the major archbishop of Thiruvanthapuram and is the Major Archbishop-Catholicos of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. He participated in the voting process that led to the election of Pope Francis in 2013.
Cleemis reminisced about his long-standing relationship with Pope Francis, noting that during the 2013 election, he was assigned a room adjacent to the Pope.
Pope Francis passed away early Monday at his residence.
At 11:30 p.m. IST on Monday, a solemn private ceremony will be held, where the acting head cardinal will lead a prayer session with the Pope's immediate family present.
During this session, the acting Pope will call out the name of Pope Francis three times at his baptism.
In the absence of a response, the Vatican will officially declare Pope Francis deceased, as per tradition.
On Wednesday morning, the remains of Pope Francis will be transported to St. Peter's Basilica.
Currently, India has four cardinals.
The election for the new Pope is anticipated to occur early next month, when all cardinals aged 80 and under will gather, remaining isolated from the outside world until the emergence of white smoke from the conclave.
The elected candidate must achieve a two-thirds majority. If no candidate meets this requirement, the ballots are incinerated, producing black smoke, indicating that voting will continue.
Voting persists until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority, at which point white smoke will signal the election of a new Pope.
The electoral college comprises four cardinals from India.
In addition to Cleemis, Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, although originally from Kerala, was recently elevated to Cardinal by Pope Francis in December of last year.
Koovakad has been assigned to the office of Pope Francis and, unlike other cardinals, has previously served only as a priest based in the Vatican.
The other two Indian cardinals include Cardinal Anthony Poola, the country's first Dalit cardinal at 63 years old, and 72-year-old Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrao.
Interestingly, Kerala is home to three Catholic rites: the Syro-Malabar, Latin, and Syro-Malankara Churches.
These three churches collectively account for over 50 percent of the Christian population in Kerala, which represents approximately 17 percent of the state's total population of 3.3 crore.
