Cardinal Nichols releases pre-conclave reflections

The Catholic Herald• May 7, 2025

Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster and President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, is one of three English cardinals who will take part in the conclave that starts today to elect the next pope.

In the following short reflection, recorded just before leaving for the Casa Santa Marta residence where the cardinals will stay during the conclave, Cardinal Nichols talks about the richness of the general congregations – the twelve pre-conclave meetings of the cardinals – how the qualities of Saints Peter and Paul provide many of the necessary characteristics to guide a new Pope.

He also talks about how he will feel when those famous words “Extra Omnes” are proclaimed and the doors of the Sistine Chapel are closed to the outside world.

Once the doors to the Sistine Chapel close, cardinals will effectively be entirely shutoff from the rest of the world, with phone jamming systems and Wi-Fi blockers in place.

They will also have no newspapers or television news available while they remain closed in together in the Santa Marta residence, to allow for complete privacy and to prevent the interference of any external factors that might sway the voting process.

Previously, at the end of April appearing on the BBC’s “Thought for the Day” program on Radio 4, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales spoke about how despite the “intimidating” prospect of participating in a conclave he was nonetheless looking forward to carrying out his duty to help choose Pope Francis’s successor.

RELATED: Cardinal Nichols on conclave: ‘intimidating’ but it’s our duty

Photo: Cardinal Vincent Nichols officiating the solemn Requiem Mass for Pope Francis at The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Most Precious Blood, also known as Westminster Cathedral, London, England, 21 April 2025. (Photo by Alishia Abodunde/Getty Images.)