Source : NEW INDIAN EXPRESS NEWS
Alicler Medina, 35, a Venezuelan journalist living in Argentina
Medina said Francis sought to bring youth closer to the church, and his successor should be, even more so, “the pope of the young.”
“I expect the same from the new pope: that he calls young people together, that he brings them closer to God, because I feel we live in a society that has lost many of its values; and that he brings them closer to their families, that he reminds them of their principles. … Now we see animal abuse, family abuse, bullying.”
The next pontiff, he added, should “have the openness of Francis but the love that John Paul II expressed.”
—By Almudena Calatrava in Buenos Aires.
Mercyline Bunoro, 64, a mother of 7 in Nairobi, Kenya
Buboiro has been a Catholic since birth. She hopes the next pope will continue to embrace everyone regardless of their background and sexual orientation.
Human rights groups in Kenya have expressed concerns about discrimination against LGBTQ+ people. But Bunoro says “being gay is God’s wish” and they shouldn’t be spurned by the church.
The mother of seven lives in a Nairobi slum, earning a living through menial work such as washing clothes and cleaning.
Bunoro says more cardinals should be appointed from Africa so the continent has more say in Vatican leadership decisions.
—By Brian Inganga in Nairobi.
Christoph Rudinger, 49, an educator from Linz, Austria
Rudinger, who teaches at the university of education of the Diocese of Linz in Austria, was in Berlin to prepare a field trip for his students.
Sitting outside St. Hedwig’s Cathedral in Berlin’s historic center, Rudinger said his paramount hope for the next pope is to have an open mind.
“I expect the pope to have open arms, to have open hands for the concerns of the people who approach him, regardless of whether they’re Catholic or not,” he said.
He hopes the next pope will tackle difficult issues, such as the role of women in the church and whether they can become priests.
For many Austrian Catholics, he said, it’s important the pope hear their concerns about a priest shortage in their region and the possible abolition of celibacy as a requirement for ordination.
—By Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin.
Beatrice Rakoma, 64, a pensioner in Johannesburg, South Africa
Rakoma lives in Alexandra, a mostly Black township in Johannesburg, and is president of the Catholic Women’s League of Alexandra. She spoke to the AP at a memorial service for Pope Francis at a Catholic church in Soweto last week, when she wore a dress adorned with his image.
Rakoma said she would celebrate if the new pope is the first ever from sub-Saharan Africa. But more important, she said, is that he continue with Pope Francis’ message of encouraging unity among the world’s people.
“It’s not about color, race or gender,” Rakoma said. “Whichever pope will be elected, it has to be about the glory of God, not about being whichever cultural, race or gender background you come from.”
“The new pope must take over from Pope Francis, lead the way, and walk in his footsteps.”
—By Alfonso Nqunjana in Johannesburg.
Carlo Caniglia, 60, a civil servant from Mantova, Italy
Caniglia said he’s not a frequent churchgoer in his hometown of Mantova but goes for baptisms, weddings or funerals, plus Easter and Christmas services.
“If the Catholic Church wants to survive in this fast-changing world, it needs to change and the pope needs to lead that way,” said Caniglia, adding that the new pope must address issues such as gender equality in the church and discrimination against gays and lesbians.
“Pope Francis did a good job regarding those topics and I want the next pope to continue that way,” said Caniglia, who spoke to the AP while visiting Berlin with his wife. He thinks it would be nice if the next pope did not come from Europe, but perhaps from Asia or Africa.
“I know many Catholics would have a problem with a Black pope but I don’t think it’s a problem at all,” he said.
—By Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin
SOURCE :- NEW INDIAN EXPRESS
