“In the Church we are never passive bystanders,” Bishop Varden insisted.

Although the papal interregnum is “an uncomfortable state of affairs,” the Norwegian bishop argued that “there is no need, really, to fret. I’d say this is a good time to do the exact opposite: to practice silence and peace.”

Bishop Varden also cautioned against thinking that one prelate would “win” the election. “Do we think of the weight that will be placed on the future pope’s shoulders from the moment of his acceptance? Do we consider the account he will one day have to render to the Judge of all?”

“In these days, Rome is a people that mourns its Bishop, a people together with other peoples who have waited in line, finding a place within the city in order to weep and pray, like sheep without a shepherd,” he preached in St. Peter’s Basilica on the evening of April 28.

The 54-year-old cardinal—whose rise in the hierarchy in recent years has been meteoric—added:

And this cannot be the time for maneuvers, tactics, caution—not a time to follow the instinct to turn back, or worse, to retaliate or seek alliances of power. What is needed is a radical willingness to enter into God’s dream, entrusted to our poor hands ...

Faced with the proclamation of this newness, we cannot give in to that mental and spiritual indolence that binds us to the forms of experience of God and ecclesial practices known in the past, and which we would wish to be repeated ad infinitum, subjugated by the fear of the losses attached to necessary changes ...

To seek a shepherd today means above all to seek a guide who knows how to manage the fear of losses faced with the needs of the Gospel ... To seek a shepherd who confirms that we must walk together, forming ministries and charisms; we are a People of God constituted to proclaim the Gospel.

The cardinals’ message read, in full:

The College of Cardinals gathered in Rome, engaged in the General Congregations in preparation for the Conclave, wishes to invite the People of God to live this ecclesial moment as an event of grace and spiritual discernment, listening to the will of God.
For this reason, the Cardinals, conscious of the responsibility to which they are called, feel the need to be supported by the prayers of all the faithful. This is the true force that in the Church promotes the unity of all the members of the one Body of Christ (cf. 1 Cor 12:12).
Faced with the enormity of the task ahead and the urgency of the present time, it is first of all necessary to make ourselves humble instruments of the infinite wisdom and providence of our Heavenly Father, in docility to the action of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, he is the protagonist of the life of the People of God, the One to whom we must listen, accepting what he is saying to the Church (cf. Rev 3:6).

Under the terms of the secret Vatican accord with Beijing on the naming of bishops, as commonly understood, the government-backed Patriotic Catholic Association proposes candidates, to be approved by the Roman Pontiff. But in violation of that understanding, the Patriotic Association announced the election of Father Li Janlin as Bishop of Xinxiang, and Father Wu Jianlin as auxiliary bishop in Shanghai. In each case, AsiaNews reports, the newly elected bishop was the only candidate presented to the voters, who included religious lay people.

The Chinese authorities’ disregard for the agreement with Rome could have an impact on the papal election, since Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State, who has been a strong public defender of the accord, is regarded as a leading candidate to succeed Pope Francis.

Cardinal Canizares, the retired Archbishop of Valencia, Spain, is 79 years old and in frail condition.

Cardinal Njue, who retired from his post as Archbishop of Nairobi, Kenya, is also in poor health. But his absence from the conclave includes an interesting story. Because the actual date of his birth was not recorded, for years the Vatican listed him as being born on December 31, 1944: a birthdate that would have made him ineligible for this year’s conclave. Only recently the Vatican updated that birthday, listing it as January 1, 1946, and making him eligible—an adjustment that now appears to have made no practical difference.

On April 28, members of the College of Cardinals met in their fifth general congregation since Pope Francis’s death. Over 180 of the 252 members of the College of Cardinals were in attendance, the Vatican newspaper reported.

An estimated 200,000 people, including participants in the Jubilee of Teenagers, were in attendance at the Mass, on the second of nine days of Masses in the late Pontiff’s memory. In a separate article, the Vatican newspaper reported that 200,000 teenagers took part in the jubilee.

“It is precisely the Father’s mercy, which is greater than our limitations and calculations, that characterized the Magisterium of Pope Francis and his intense apostolic activity,” Cardinal Parolin preached. “Likewise the eagerness to proclaim and share God’s mercy with all—the proclamation of the Good News, evangelization—was the principal theme of his pontificate.”

He added:

It is important to welcome as a precious treasure this principle on which Pope Francis insisted so much. And—allow me to say—our affection for him, which is being manifested in this time, must not remain a mere emotion of the moment; we must welcome his legacy and make it part of our lives, opening ourselves to God’s mercy and also being merciful to one another ...

Only mercy heals and creates a new world, putting out the fires of distrust, hatred and violence: this is the great teaching of Pope Francis.

The April 29 session also saw twenty cardinals speak about the needs of the universal Church—a topic that will dominate discussion as the conclave nears.

The camerlengo and his three assistants* presented a list of the people who will be required to swear an oath of secrecy before the conclave, including all the cardinal-electors and the support staff that will serve them during the length of the conclave. That staff will include priests who will be available to hear confessions in various languages, doctors and nurses, cooks and cleaning staff, and security personnel.

* Three cardinals serve as assistants to the camerlengo in handling details of preparation for the conclave. Contrary to some media reports, these cardinal-assistants are chosen by lot, rather than by vote; they serve only for three days, after which another trio of cardinal-assistants is chosen.

“Their presence was particularly appreciated as participation in the suffering of the Church and the Holy See at the passing of the Pontiff, and as homage to his unceasing commitment to promote faith, peace and fraternity among all the peoples of the earth,” the cardinals said.

The College also thanked the public officials of Rome and Italy who cooperated in preparations for the funeral.

Finally, the statement acknowledged the large number of young people who participated in the Jubilee for Youth on April 27. Thousands of young people had scheduled trips to Rome for the canonization of Blessed Carlo Acutis, which was postponed because of the papal funeral. Their attendance, the cardinals said, helped to show “the face of a Church alive with the life of her Risen Lord.”

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the College of Cardinals, preached the homily.

“The outpouring of affection that we have witnessed in recent days following his passing from this earth into eternity tells us how much the profound pontificate of Pope Francis touched minds and hearts,” he preached. “With our prayers, we now entrust the soul of our beloved Pontiff to God, that he may grant him eternal happiness in the bright and glorious gaze of his immense love”

Cardinal Re concluded:

Pope Francis used to conclude his speeches and meetings by saying, “Do not forget to pray for me.” Dear Pope Francis, we now ask you to pray for us. May you bless the Church, bless Rome, and bless the whole world from heaven as you did last Sunday from the balcony of this Basilica in a final embrace with all the people of God, but also embrace humanity that seeks the truth with a sincere heart and holds high the torch of hope.