Rorate has chosen to provide a list that is useful for identifying those who may not be the best choices available for the Cardinal Electors in the 2025 Conclave — for doctrinal or moral reasons, or simply for reasons of administrative ineptitude.
After 12 years of doctrinal disaster, moral ambiguity, and administrative authoritarianism and chaos, the Church deserves unity and peace.
This is our guide of problematic Cardinals: if you hear one of the names below after the Habemus Papam… it could be a sign of trouble in the years ahead: small, middle-sized, or huge problems…
The Who’s Who of Bad Options in the Conclave
De Kesel from Belgium is noteworthy for two reasons. First of all, he was a protégé of Sankt Gallen cardinal Godfried Danneels, notorious for trying to silence and even victim blaming a boy molested by one of his fellow bishops. De Kesel followed his example in dealing ineffectively with child sexual abuse. Secondly, he supported a controversial document of the Belgium bishops, in late 2022, allowing for liturgical blessing of gay couples, in defiance of the Vatican.
Beyond this he’s a typical radical progressive, supporting married priests and female ordination and communion for any divorced remarried person, who says their conscience supports it.
*
Hollerich a Jesuit from Luxembourg impresses as one of the most radical cardinals in the world. He seems to be very concerned with politics, but to have little faith in the Catholic faith. He has called for married priests, suggested that the ordination of women as priests is possible, and outright said the Church’s condemnation of homosexual acts is false (only to backtrack later).
He also suggested Cardinal Woelki in Germany ought to resign, in spite of the fact that he has been one of the most pro-active German prelates in fighting abuse and was falsely accused by progressive media. Hollerich argued he should do this, simply because of public opinion, even though the accusations weren’t fair. Meanwhile, Hollerich has been rather friendly with Cardinal Marx who actually did actually mishandle abuse accusations.
The weaponization of the abuse crisis and placing popular opinion above actual help (or harm) for victims seems rather worrying.
*
Grech from Malta, the secretary general of the Synod on Synodality, requires no further introduction. His own clergy has accused him of being a bully, he got involved in financial care-home scandal, allied himself to Hollerich and the German bishops and has called for a diverse ‘rainbow church’.
*
Marx, from Germany, has become pretty infamous at this point. Once Pope Benedict had made him a cardinal he started to push modernists standpoints, arguing for communion for the divorced remarried and even intercommunion with Protestants (who deny the Catholic doctrine on the Eucharist). He had a leading role in the attempts by German bishops to instrumentalize abuse cover ups by previous liberal bishops to push for more liberal reform.
The irony of this was recently exposed, when it turned out, that the liberal Protestant church in Germany had an even worse abuse problem , with research suggesting that more progressive changes would not resolve the issues; and with it being revealed that Marx had himself badly mishandled abuse. Marx even offered to resign over it, but Francis predictably turned this down.
*
Radcliffe is easily in the top 10, if not top 5, most ‘radical liberal’ cardinals group. He has become rather notorious for describing homosexual acts between men, as to be likened with Christ’s self-gift in the Eucharist. These blasphemous statements were quietly removed from his English Wikipedia article, shortly before he was given an important role in the Synod on Synodality, and then made cardinal. Meanwhile he has tried to backtrack and deny he held those views, but he still pushes married priests and it’s undeniable he has pushed homosexual priests, too, saying they had a ‘calling’.
*
McElroy comes across as the most radical cardinal from the USA and is known as a protégé of the disgraced abuser McCarrick. While he denies having known about, and failed to act on, the accusations against his close ally, he managed to mishandle abuse cases as bishop himself, even though he was appointed after the American bishops had already adopted far stricter norms. He also implemented both Amoris Laetitia and Traditionis Custodes in radical ways, allowing the divorced remarried to receive communion (even taking the position they often have no blame for their choices), while banning Tridentine masses. His diocese of San Diego even spoke of ‘LGBT families’, a term contrary to the definition of the family provided in the catechism. He has also called for all Catholics to be able to receive communion, even when they’re openly living in mortal sin, and for ordained female deacons
*
Tobin is another progressive American who’s been linked to McCarrick and is presented as an ally of McElroy and Cupich. He has also pushed for ‘inclusion’ of LGBT- people, in a similar way blurred Catholic doctrine and supported James Martin. What stands out about him is that he posted a strange message with erotic overtones a few years ago, but then quickly deleted it. It was claimed that this wasn’t a message to a lover, but to his sister, and that he had trouble using technology. The reader can read it and judge for him-/herself if this is a normal message for an elderly men to post online ‘for his sister’.
*
Farrell is yet another American progressive accused of ties to McCarrick. Recently the well-known Irish Youtube blogger Robert Nugent (blogging under the name ‘Decrevi Determined to be Catholic’ or @thecatholicman) heavily doubted cardinal Farrell’s statements about his knowledge regarding the evil deeds of his former housemate, who was even convicted of abuse in a Vatican trial under pope Francis.
Nugent, illustrating his own story with personal photos, also questioned Farrell, about his statements that he met the equally infamous father Marcial Maciel ‘only once or twice’; and questioned Farrell’s cv on the Vatican website which mentions his alleged study at the University of Salamanca. According to Nugent this cv conceals Farrell’s past formation time within the Legion of Christ, during the leadership of Maciel, and makes Farrells own statements highly unreliable. Maciel was the founder of this congregation and was reported for sexual abuse of many minors. Farrell presents as another James Martin supporter and more importantly, he openly criticized Archbishop Chaput for continuing to adhere to Church doctrine, in the sense that the divorced remarried have to live chastely to receive communion.
*
Cupich the Archbishop of Chicago, also fits into this pattern of American liberals appointed by Francis. Accused of ties to McCarrick, a supporter of James Martin and criticized for his handling of abuse.
Three things stand out about him particularly:
1. He implemented one of the most draconian interpretations of Traditionis Custodes, banning all Tridentine masses, without exception.
2. He tried to downplay the selling of fetal organs by Planned Parenthood and suggested that strict migration laws were evenly bad.
3. He recently suggested gay couples who adopted kids were doing something good.
*
Gregory, the former Archbishop of Washington D.C., is viewed as a more moderate American liberal, but has also been accused of having ties to McCarrick. While not as radical as McElroy or Cupich, he has still come to embrace James Martin’s pro-LGBT activism and became more friendly towards homosexuality, even apologizing to homosexuals.
*
Chow, a Jesuit from Hong Kong seems the most radical of the Asian cardinals. He supports dialogue with the Communist government from the mainland, which is clearly a one-way dialogue, drawing the Hong Kong church into the sphere of communism. He has expressed his support for women’s ordination and for a pro-LGBT policy. He even participated in a pro-LGBT even pushed by James Martin during the Synod on Synodality.
*
Parolin again stands out as the leading player in the deal that’s been rightfully criticized for swelling out the brave underground Church in China. Furthermore, it was his right-hand man Becciu who was convicted for corruption, while Parolin approved the 400 million deal. He is widely considered to be the leading contender in the entire conclave.
Besides, Parolin has had a leading role in pushing Traditionis Custodes, is rumoured to have been linked to McCarrick, too, and only started to strategically distance himself actively from the German bishops in 2022. All this would rather make him a questionable ‘compromise’ candidate.
*
Continue reading at Rorate Caeli