Cardinals Send Last Social Media Posts Before Conclave

Vatican City: Some cardinals participating in the Conclave were sending out their last social media posts on Wednesday before they have to surrender their phones during the election of the new pope. Fernando Chomal­ Garib, the Archbishop of Santiago de Chile, posted a video on X of himself washing a shirt, stating, “Today I enter the conclave without a cell phone.” He emphasized the spiritual weight of the event, saying, “You can vote on who will be the pope before God alone. A responsibility that overwhelms me.”

According to Ansa News Agency, Jean Paul Vesco, the Archbishop of Algiers, used Facebook to communicate with his online friends. He expressed anticipation, stating, “Tonight I enter the silence of the conclave, I can’t wait.” Vesco highlighted the Conclave’s blend of tradition and modernity, noting, “This archaic 11th-century institution is demonstrating an incredible modernity in the age of over-media, of social media and of our digital addictions. No more phones or Internet, the windows of our rooms are sealed…. We will emerge with the proclamation: ‘habemus papam! ‘ What an adventure indeed!”

Conservative Cardinal Raymond Burke made an appeal through a video on Facebook, requesting, “Your prayer is urgent for the cardinals who enter the Conclave to choose the successor of Saint Peter.” Meanwhile, Ukrainian Mykola Bychok, the youngest member of the College of Cardinals at 45, conveyed via social media his intentions during the Conclave, stating: “While I’m in the Sistine Chapel I’ll pray for a just peace for Ukraine.”