Sawt Falasteen - Hope, apprehension and politics: Cardinals search for new pope

The task of choosing a new pope to replace the Argentine, who died on Monday aged 88, "is beyond us and yet requires us", said French cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, summing up the mood after celebrating a mass on Thursday evening.

"We feel very small. We have to make decisions for the whole Church, so we really need to pray for ourselves," added Luxembourg's Jean-Claude Hollerich, a Jesuit who was a close advisor to Francis.

The conclave is likely to begin right after the nine days of mourning declared by the Holy See, which end on May 4, he said, adding that he was approaching the occasion with "great hope" but also "a certain apprehension".

Cardinal electors -- those aged under 80 -- will choose a new leader for the 1.4-billion-strong Roman Catholic church behind the closed doors of the Sistine Chapel.

Playing out under Michelangelo's frescoes, the process is often perceived as full of intrigue and machinations.

But Cardinal Francois-Xavier Bustillo, the bishop of Ajaccio in Corsica, said his fellow cardinals should eschew political games and listen to each other before deciding.

We must not act tactically or strategically," he said. "We must serve and act responsibly."

- 'Intimidating' -

On Friday morning, all cardinals already in Rome -- electors and those who are too old -- gathered at the Vatican for their fourth meeting since Francis's death.

Known as "general congregations", these gatherings provide an opportunity to exchange views and discuss the priorities of the next pontificate.

With their trademark scarlet skullcaps, cardinals are not hard to spot around the colonnades of St Peter's Square -- something that makes them an easy target for journalists hoping to get a steer on who the next pope might be.

"There's a good atmosphere between us. It's you who make the predictions," Italy's Fernando Filoni quipped to reporters as he entered a meeting. "We're getting to know each other."

Francis, who appointed 80 percent of the 135 electors eligible to choose his successor, prioritised the Global South and far-flung regions away from Rome when picking new cardinals.

British cardinal Vincent Nichols said the prospect of choosing the next pope was "quite intimidating frankly".

Cardinals would do their "best work once the doors of the conclave have been shut", he told the BBC, adding seclusion would allow for "peace and a prayerfulness between us".

- Wish list -

Yet cardinals have discretely begun work to narrow the list of candidates.

Asked whether the time had come for an African or Asian pope, Archbishop Hollerich replied: "Why not? But it's not a given."

Skills and personality were more important than geography, he said, adding that a pope would always be a unifying figure.

The ideal candidate would be a "simple man" who is "not too young nor too old", "can connect with people" and "knows how to listen" to both those on the left and on the right, he said.

However German cardinal Gerhard Muller, a staunch conservative who was among the leading voices opposing Francis's progressive approach, said the Church risked a schism if it elected another liberal.

"The question is not between conservatives and liberals but between orthodoxy and heresy," he told British newspaper The Times.

Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga of Honduras said he hoped for a pontiff who would carry Francis's torch.

"A simple, humble person. A pontiff who will break up the power struggles in the Church," he told Italian daily La Stampa.

Aged 82, he will not have a say in the selection but remains hopeful.

"I am convinced that in the end everyone will have common sense. Cardinals are not people without faith," he said.

O.Mousa--SF-PST