Papal conclave

"He who enters the conclave as pope, leaves it as a cardinal."

"(about Pope John XXIII) Not long after he was elected pope, John was walking in the streets of Rome. A woman passed him and said to her friend, "My God, he's so fat!" Overhearing what she said, he turned around and replied, "Madame, I trust you understand that the papal conclave is not exactly a beauty contest.""

"The Holy Father pointed out on one occasion that Latin America was preparing to reevangelize Europe and to evangelize other regions of the world; and he saw this as the plan for the region for the Third Millennium. Latin America is now a mature Church, ready to give a Pope to the universal Church, if not during this conclave, then during the next."

"I have borne the musket of a soldier, the traveller’s cane, and the pilgrim’s staff: as a sailor my fate has been as inconstant as the wind: a kingfisher, I have made my nest among the waves. I have been party to peace and war: I have signed treaties, protocols, and along the way published numerous works. I have been made privy to party secrets, of court and state: I have viewed closely the rarest disasters, the greatest good fortune, the highest reputations. I have been present at sieges, congresses, conclaves, at the restoration and demolition of thrones. I have made history, and been able to write it. ... Within and alongside my age, perhaps without wishing or seeking to, I have exerted upon it a triple influence, religious, political and literary."

"The stringency of these regulations at once aroused opposition; yet the first elections held in conclave proved that the principle was right."

"Veni creator Spiritus"

"We are moving toward a dictatorship of relativism which does not recognize anything as definitive and has as its highest value one's own ego and one's own desires."

"While I am pleased to recall the long and dedicated service that closely bound your priestly and episcopal ministry to the Apostolic See, I would like in particular to express to you my deep appreciation for the great dignity and solemn sobriety with which you carried out your role as Camerlengo of Holy Roman Church, at the moment of the devout death of the late Pope John Paul II, on the occasion of the extraordinary demonstration of faith during the funeral of the beloved Pontiff, during the entire period of the Vacancy of the Apostolic See and in carrying out the tasks of the Conclave for the election of the new Pope. As your high office as Camerlengo and your other important offices in the various Dicasteries of the Roman Curia come to an end, I am sure that the memory of all the good you have done will be a comfort to you and a cause of thanksgiving and praise to the Lord."

"Having a clear faith, based on the creed of the church, is often labeled today as a fundamentalism. … Whereas relativism, which is letting oneself be tossed and "swept along by every wind of teaching," looks like the only attitude acceptable to today's standards.We are moving toward a dictatorship of relativism which does not recognize anything as definitive and has as its highest value one's own ego and one's own desires... The church needs to withstand the tides of trends and the latest novelties. ... We must become mature in this adult faith, we must guide the flock of Christ to this faith."

"I am at best on the C list for Pope."

"Yesterday, a funny thing happened to me on my way to the Conclave."

"[Pope Francis has left] an immense legacy, placing the Gospel of Jesus Christ at the centre of the Church. [...] I read in his will that he offered all his sufferings to the Lord for peace. [...] [His successor] inherits a Church within which Pope Francis had initiated and opened up various processes, processes that deserve to be deepened and further accompanied. This was one of the pillars of Pope Francis' teaching: rather than occupying spaces, initiate processes. He initiated so many, and we hope that his successor will be able to accompany these processes for the missionary reform of the Church. [...] History teaches us that any prediction [about the duration of the conclave] is likely to be wrong because, in reality, it is the Holy Spirit who guides the Church; it is the Holy Spirit who guides the conclave. Therefore, the Holy Spirit will dictate the timing, and we entrust ourselves to Him."