VATICAN CITY
The Nation
Vatican City – The Italian media on Friday identified two frontrunners for the papal race – Angelo Scola of Italy and Odilo Pedro Scherer of Brazil – as the wait continued for cardinals to set a date for the conclave that will elect the new leader of the Catholic Church.
Cardinals have gathered for the fifth day of General Congregations, a preliminary forum for discussions. They were joined Thursday by the last of the 115 papal electors that had yet to arrive, allowing them to finally decide on when to start the conclave.
“All 115 of the Eligible electors for the next Pope are now in Rome. Hope date for Conclave is set soon. Your prayers are really needed,” US Cardinal Roger Mahony wrote on Twitter.
The expectation was that the secluded assembly in the Sistine Chapel could commence no earlier than Tuesday.
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