Cardinal Pizzaballa gets send-off as he leaves Jerusalem for Vatican and his first conclave

Cardinal Pizzaballa gets send-off as he leaves Jerusalem for Vatican and his first conclave

"We must all pray for the church, for we are a part of a big body which is (the) universal church -- the Catholic Church.," Cardinal Pizzaballa said.

He is considered to be the most influential figure of the Catholic Church in the Middle East. After the death of Pope Francis, Pierbattista Cardinal Pizzaballa is regarded as a promising candidate to succeed him.

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, will fly this Wednesday at noon to Rome. He is one of 135 cardinals seated in the conclave to elect the successor of Francis, deceased this Monday; the highest Catholic authority in the Holy Land (a denomination that encompasses the Latin rite churches in Israel, Palestine, Jordan and Cyprus) and one of the names that sounds like papal in the informal quinielas. Just before flying, he wi…

Yesterday was his birthday, after the first wishes from Cologno al Serio he asked for silence

'It is a moment during which we need to be united in prayer,' Cardinal Pizzaballa says as he leaves Jerusalem for his first conclave - The Dialog

JERUSALEM (OSV News) — In his final words before departing Jerusalem for the Vatican where he will participate in his first conclave to choose the next pope, Latin Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa urged the faithful of his diocese to be united in prayer as Jerusalem bid him a royal goodbye after he celebrated Mass for Pope Francis at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. “It is a moment during which we need to be united in prayer, first fo…

Pizzaballa could take over the Catholic Church Pope Francis will be buried on Saturday. Then the process of electing a new pope begins. Among the hottest names, is Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa (60) from Jerusalem. He became a cardinal as late as 2023, but his experience of perhaps the world's most heated religious conflict has made him one of the favorites, writes the NY Times. “In principle, any of the 135 cardinals with voting rights can …