Cardinal Hollerich thinks new Pope could reinterpret Fiducia supplicans but not abolish it.

Cardinal Hollerich. "We have not elected an anti-Trump Pope. He will last much longer"

"It will be a pontificate in continuity with the teaching of Pope Francis. And I am very happy about that. It is what the majority of cardinals wanted". Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich has a smiling face, even if he does not hide his tiredness. "These have been intense days", he confides. Both those of the General Congregations and those of the Conclave that elected Leo XIV. "It actually took us twenty-four hours to choose the new Pope," the Archbishop of Luxembourg tells Avvenire. Sixty-six years old, with a gentle but firm manner, he immediately adds: "I believe it will be my first and last Conclave. Because I wish the Pope a long life." The new Pontiff is an Augustinian. And Hollerich is a Jesuit like Francis who has made synodality one of the hallmarks of his pontificate. A dimension dear to the Luxembourg cardinal who is a tenacious supporter of it and who was general rapporteur at the last Synod. "Pope Leo - he explains - spoke of a "synodal Church" in his first message. Having participated in the work of the Synod, we have a Pontiff who knows synodality, who understands synodality, who dares synodality. There will be no revolution that no one in the Church wants, but an evolution, yes. And it is the best way to change."

Your Eminence, what to expect from the new Pope?

Not a copy of Pope Francis, because a copy is in itself weak and is never as beautiful as the original. So Leo XIV will have his own style and characteristics, but in the wake of Francis. Of course, we did not choose him because he seems less flashy than his predecessor.

The Pope is an Augustinian. Benedict XVI loved and studied St. Augustine. Will Leo XIV be a bridge between the last two pontificates?

Francis had many things in common with Pope Benedict. Those who did not like the intuitions of Pope Bergoglio contrasted him with Pope Ratzinger. Instead, I think that their teaching is contiguous. And Benedict XVI was satisfied with the election of Francis. Leo XIV has some traits of Pope Benedict in his approach. And he wants an ecclesial reconciliation but not through external elements as, instead, some people imagine: for example, with the choice or not to live in the Apostolic Palace or with what he wears. He knows that the Church is not synonymous with uniformity. Let's take the College of Cardinals: we have cardinals who do not understand Italian or do not know Latin. What matters is that the polarization of the world does not infect the Church. Because in the Church we are all disciples of Christ. If something else becomes more important, it means that we have distanced ourselves from the Lord.

The Conclave was short. A sign?

Yes, of the unity of the Church. The great majority of cardinals believe that the Church must look forward and not go back.

Regarding the Synod, Pope Francis had authorized from his hospital bed the publication of the letter that extends the synodal journey for another three years. Pope Leo took part in the Synod as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops. He had no fears or worries. And he saw how synodality makes the Church more missionary. I think, therefore, that the journey will continue. Surely the secretary general of the Synod, Cardinal Mario Grech, will go to Leo XIV to inform him of what Francis has decided. The new Pope could also make some adjustments, as is natural for any new Pontiff. However, synodality is inherent to the Church. Enhancing it also means improving certain ecclesial structures that have become too similar to state structures. Cardinal Grech himself told me that he receives letters and reports from which it emerges that synodality is reinvigorating local Churches.

The Pope is American and asks for bridges. Also towards migrants that the US administration deports?

We have not elected an anti-Trump Pope. We have chosen a man of prayer, a disciple of Jesus, a helmsman who knows how to guide the Church through the waves of history. The fact that he is an American citizen is a coincidence. Also because Donald Trump will pass, while Leo's pontificate will last a long time.

The declaration Fiducia supplicans that opens to blessings for "irregular" couples, including homosexual ones, has received criticism from some episcopates, particularly in Africa. What will happen?

Pope Leo said from the central Loggia of St. Peter's Basilica that the Church is open to all. This is also a continuation of Francis's approach, which repeated: "All, all, all." There is a messianic universalism in Christianity according to which Jesus' message of salvation is for all humanity. Therefore, it is addressed to all. Even homosexuals. No one can say that Christ died on the Cross for all, except homosexuals. Discrimination is not Christian. On Fiducia supplicans I hypothesize that the new Pope could reinterpret it but not abolish it. Among other things, the Church does not intend to equate unions between people of the same sex to marriage. And in fact the declaration emphasizes the fact that every person is blessed by God.

Francis has changed the architecture of the Roman Curia. A reform to be completed?

Not everything has been put into practice yet. And we need to move forward, as Cardinal Prevost, who was part of the Curia, was already aware. The Curia is at the service of the Pope and of episcopal collegiality. The Synodal style can help make it more effective.

What role for women in the Roman Curia and in local Churches?

I am happy that Sister Raffaella Petrini is a nun, at the head of the Governorate of Vatican City State. And I consider Sister Simona Brambilla, who heads the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life, very competent. If we do not want to leave women on the margins of the Church, we also need to share decision-making spaces. In my archdiocese, for example, a woman is responsible for formation, including that of priests, and I wanted two women on the Seminary team.

Leo XIV repeated the word “peace” nine times in his greeting to the world after his election. What message does he send?

Peace has many faces: peace implies less antagonism; peace requires less polarization and more dialogue; peace needs the encounter with others who are different from us. Only if we are truly women and men of peace in daily life will we also have relevance in political decisions.

You were a missionary in Japan; Pope Prevost in Latin America. Is the missionary experience a help?

Certainly. Pope Leo lived in Peru taking on a culture different from his own. The same happened to me when I was in Asia. All this allows us to broaden our view, especially for those who come from the north of the world. There cannot be a Church that is thought of only in a Western way.

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