Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) recommended that the greater than 230 Catholic Cardinals within the conclave “keep an open mind” about contemplating President Donald Trump for the papacy.
“I was excited to hear that President Trump is open to the idea of being the next Pope,” Graham posted Tuesday on X. “This would truly be a dark horse candidate, but I would ask the papal conclave and Catholic faithful to keep an open mind about this possibility! The first Pope-U.S. President combination has many upsides. Watching for white smoke…. Trump MMXXVIII!”
Graham confirmed assist for the concept after President Trump was requested by a reporter if “he had anyone in mind” to succeed Pope Francis after he died on the age of 88.
“I’d like to be pope,” President Trump joked Tuesday. “That’d be my number one choice.”
Trump added that he had “no preference” on which Cardinal ought to succeed the late Pope Francis however recommended that Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, could be an excellent decide.
“I don’t know,” Trump stated. “I must say that we have a Cardinal that happens to be out of a place called New York that is very good so we’ll see what happens.”
In 2020, Trump advised the Faith Information Service that he sees himself as a non-denominational Christian after he was “confirmed at a Presbyterian church as a child.”
Cardinal Dolan isn’t on the brief checklist of attainable contenders to guide the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
Potential Cardinals within the operating to be named the subsequent pontiff are from the Philippines, Italy, France, Sri Lanka, the Netherlands and Guinea.
Any baptized Catholic male can function pope, supplied he turns into ordained and appointed as a bishop earlier than a papal election takes place.
There has by no means been a pope from america nevertheless, Francis was the primary pontiff from the Americas.
The conclave will start on Could 7, although Cardinals in Rome began having casual discussions forward of Pope Francis’ funeral.
Round 120 cardinals out of the 138 “princes of the church” are assigned to select the holy successor inside 20 days of a pope’s demise.
The Cardinals will write down their selection on a bit of paper in the course of the secretive course of within the Sistine Chapel.
They may vote 4 instances a day till a successor is picked, however solely the highest two candidates shall be thought-about after 30 rounds of voting.
Pope Francis was elected after 5 rounds of voting in 2013.
He died on Apr. 21, sooner or later after Easter Sunday, after struggling a stroke, the Vatican revealed.
The funeral was held on Apr. 26 in St. Peter’s Sq. with lots of of hundreds of mourners within the space saying their remaining farewell.
