Sawt Falasteen - Cardinals lay groundwork for conclave, hope for quick vote

More than 180 "Princes of the Church" met behind closed doors in their seventh meeting since Pope Francis died on April 21, to discuss what they want from the next leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics.

After discussing issues such as child sex abuse in the Church and the institution's role in the modern world earlier in the week, talk turned on Wednesday to the Vatican's finances.

"There is a lot of dialogue," said Colombian Cardinal Jorge Enrique Jimenez Carvajal, 83, as he entered the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican for the talks.

"The atmosphere is very peaceful."

The conclave begins on May 7, when a record 133 cardinals will enter the Sistine Chapel to vote in secret for a new pontiff.

They will vote four times a day until two-thirds of them -- at least 89 cardinals -- agree on a single candidate.

Many cardinals have expressed hope for a short conclave, closer to the two days needed to elect both Francis and his predecessor Benedict XVI than the almost three years it took in the 13th century.

"Maximum three days," predicted Salvadorian Cardinal Gregorio Rosa Chavez.

With around 80 percent of them having been appointed in the past 12 years by Francis, and hailing from all four corners of the globe, many of the cardinals do not know each other.

At the meetings this week and last, "we are listening to people who we have never listened to before... and that guides you," Cardinal Cristobal Lopez Romero, the Spanish-born archbishop of Rabat, told AFP.

- Different priorities -

Francis, the first Latin American pope, opened the arms of the Catholic Church to the poor and marginalised, drawing fervent devotion among many believers -- but also criticism that he did not focus enough on key doctrines.

The question now is whether his successor will follow in the same path, or forge a new one.

"It doesn't necessarily have to be a Francis mark II, a Francis impersonator," said Lopez.

"I am happy for him to be a good impersonator of Christ, that he is a good Christian, a good person and pays attention to what happens in the world."

One European cardinal elector, who asked not to be named, said that what struck him was the diversity of the men called to choose a new pope.

"When the Africans or the South Americans speak, they are of different worlds. Not so much opposed, but we have a very Eurocentric view," he said.

"We see that we do not have the same priorities."

He said that the meetings -- the so-called "general congregations" -- were a form of analysis where "we listen, we try to understand" the issues before deciding on one person next week.

On Monday, the Vatican said the cardinals had outlined Catholicism's most pressing challenges, including "evangelisation, the relationship with other faiths" and also the scourge of clerical child sex abuse.

On Tuesday, they focused on "the role of the Church in today's world, and the challenges she faces".

On Wednesday, discussions turned to the thorny issue of the Vatican's economic and financial situation -- a potentially painful discussion.

There will be no meeting on Thursday, which is a public holiday in Italy, and the talks will resume on Friday.

T.Khatib--SF-PST