The series of meetings of the French president with the best cardinals and senior officials of the Catholic church on the sidelines of the funeral of Pope Francis in the Vatican last Saturday caused an excitement in Italy, with speculation filled with Borgia style.
In what the Italian press nicknamed “the interventionism of the King of the Modern Sun”, Emmanuel Macron held a meeting at the French Embassy in Rome with four compatriots who will be present at the Conclave: Archbishop of Marseille Jean-Marc Enveline, bishop of Ajaccio François Bustillo, Nundine Apostolique with the quarrel of Christophe Pierre and Archbishop Emmerite.
All four are full -fledged cardinals, while two of them – Aveline and Bustillo – are considered to be among the contenders to become the next pontiff.
Before the meeting of the embassy, Macron would have shared a meal in a notable Roman restaurant with Andrea Riccardi, founder of the community of Sant'Egidio, a very influential religious organization known for its missions of work of charity and peace abroad.
This was enough for the domestic press to believe that the French chief organized a preconclave of his own, determined to put pressure for his own favorite – and, if possible, a French.
However, Riccardi – who would have a lot of cardinal ear as one of the most well connected people in the church and also has a weakness for France, where he studied – rejected rumors on Thursday, telling the Italian newspaper Il Foglio that the Macron -Sant'egidio plot was “idiocia”.
Riccardi and Macron had “fettuccine, not the snail”, he said-indicating that the history of the two breaking bread while fomenting a cabal was, on the whole, too curly.
In addition, the chances of Cardinals Aveline and Bustillo to be elected as the next pontiff are thin, according to experts. The Italian of Aveline – The working language of the Holy See – is apparently lacking, while Bustillo, who speaks the Italian fluently because of his Corsican roots, could be too young at the age of 56, due to the belief that the church would be suspicious of a prolonged pontificate.
France has not had a pope since the 14th century. The last pontiff in the country was Pope Gregory XI, who died in 1378.
Meanwhile, the death of Pope Francis and the next Conclave, which takes place next Wednesday, aroused the interest of many world leaders, including US President Donald Trump.
Tuesday, Trump threw his hat in the ring saying that he “would like to be a pope”, moreover joking that he would be his own “number one choice” for the next pontiff.
Republican senator Lindsey Graham supported Trump's field on X, saying that Trump would be “really a black horse candidate”, and asking the conclave and the faithful “to keep an open mind”.
“The first combination of the president of Pope-US has many advantages. By monitoring white smoke … Trump MMXXVIII,” concluded Graham.
