Swedish cardinal warns against politicising upcoming conclave

by CNS · April 30, 2025

Pope greets Cardinal Anders Arborelius of Stockholm, Sweden, during a meeting with a pilgrimage group from Scandinavia in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican Feb. 3, 2025. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

By Junno Arocho Esteves, CNS – As the College of Cardinals was discussing the needs of the church and the world before the conclave to elect a new pope, Swedish Cardinal Anders Arborelius of Stockholm warned against categorising the cardinals along political and ideological lines.

“That’s maybe one of the main difficulties,” Cardinal Arborelius said in an interview with Catholic News Service on April 28. “So many people have received this vision of the church from the media, not from the church. And in the media, you’re always categorised as ‘left wing’ or ‘right wing’ or whatever.”

Instead, the cardinal said Catholics must look at the pope and the church with “a look of faith, not of political opinions” and warned that it was dangerous for people to “always have political glasses on when they look upon the church and want a pope who follows their own political agenda.”

Holiness, he said, should be the defining characteristic of the future pontiff.

“I always say, we need what the world cannot give us: holiness,” he said. “Of course, that means so much, but if we put it into one word, I would say that the world can give us so much, but it cannot give us God’s holiness.”

“That’s what people really need in a time like this — that we find someone who can help them be freed from sin, from hatred, from violence, to bring about reconciliation and a deeper encounter,” he added.

Pope Francis, who died April 21 at 88, named the Swedish prelate a cardinal in 2017, making him the first ever from Sweden and Scandinavia.

Born in 1949 in Sorengo, Switzerland, Cardinal Arborelius was raised in Lund, Sweden, as a Lutheran before joining the Catholic Church at the age of 20. Inspired by St. Thérèse of Lisieux’s “The Story of a Soul,” he joined the Discalced Carmelites and in 1979, was ordained a priest in Malmö.

Cardinal Arborelius told CNS that like many, he was shocked by the news of the pope’s death because he thought the pope was getting better.

“I had heard that he said, ‘I know that my end is coming’; somehow, he knew. So, of course, it was really a shock. And I thought now we would need him more than ever in this difficult situation in Ukraine, with (U.S. President Donald) Trump, and so on,” he said.

In a statement published shortly after the announcement of the pope’s death, the cardinal remembered Pope Francis’ compassion to those in need and that “in many non-Catholic countries, he has changed the view people on the church in a positive way.”

Cardinal Arborelius also noted his discomfort with speculation regarding who will be elected as the next pope. The cardinal himself generated interest in his native Sweden after an article published by the French newspaper Le Figaro in April 2024 named him as a contender for the chair of St. Peter. More recently, The New York Times also included Cardinal Arborelius on its list of potential candidates.

Speculations on his chances of becoming pope, he noted, had “started already a bit before and that is always annoying.”

Reflecting on the characteristics the new pontiff should have, Cardinal Arborelius said people “want to see that aspect of mercy, love, concern and interest in people; that he is concerned about and wants to meet people.”

Still, Cardinal Arborelius told CNS he was concerned by some coverage of the general congregations and the conclave, particularly those that tend to split the College of Cardinals along political or ideological lines.

“That has always irritated me. So many people have taken over the political scheme when we look upon the church, but I think it’s typical of the Western world,” he said.

Regarding the upcoming conclave, Cardinal Arborelius told CNS that one of the many challenges is that he and “many cardinals don’t know each other.”

“Pope Francis had brought in people from the periphery, and so for many of us it’s a completely new experience,” he explained. “Up to now, I haven’t had any suggestions, but I heard what many people say that they wouldn’t be surprised if it was someone from Africa or Asia, because the church is more dynamic and alive there. In the Western world, the church is a bit tired and secularised, so it wouldn’t surprise me.”

The Swedish cardinal said that he hasn’t personally researched other cardinals but that he received “a list of all the names” and will try to learn more about them before the conclave begins May 7.

“Now we have a week. But up until now, it’s more through the media” that the cardinals have heard about each other, he said. “Well, everyone knows Cardinal (Pietro) Parolin and a few others. And of course, I’ve met some during the years, but maybe 20 or 30.”

“It’s a challenge, really, but it’s thrilling. It’s very thrilling to see how the Holy Spirit can help us. And so many people say, ‘We are praying for you, and we are eager to help you through our prayers.’ I think people realise how important it is,” he said.

Cardinal Arborelius said that both Catholics and non-Catholics have their eyes fixed on the election because “they feel that the pope, in a time like ours — one of polarisation and conflict — is more necessary than ever.”

“I think many people feel that also in the political world, that we need someone with a conscience, someone who is not only looking for deals,” he told CNS. “If we want to have a world with peace and justice, we need someone to guide us.”

“So, I think the expectations are (at a) very, very high level,” he said.