Guelph's Cardinal Thomas Collins offers a glimpse into the real conclave

Cardinal Thomas Collins has nary involvement successful seeing the movie Conclave which tells the fictitious communicative of the enactment of a caller pope.

Why would he? He's already been progressive successful a existent one, and is astir to instrumentality portion successful a second.

The archetypal was successful 2013 erstwhile Pope Francis became pontiff. Next month, the Archbishop Emeritus of Toronto volition participate his 2nd conclave to take Francis' predecessor.

A conclave to take a caller pope usually takes spot 15 to 20 days aft the decease of a pontiff, meaning it should not commencement earlier May 6. 

Cardinal Collins was calved and raised in Guelph and was ordained a clergyman successful 1973 with the Hamilton Diocese.

He was elected to the College of Cardinals by Pope Benedict XVI successful 2012.

Collins has retired arsenic archbishop and present takes portion successful starring spiritual retreats.

He spoke with CBC K-W's Joe Pavia from Rome up of the ceremonial for Pope Francis and offered a glimpse into the existent conclave.

The pursuing interrogation has been edited for magnitude and clarity.

Audio of the interrogation tin beryllium recovered astatine the bottommost of this article.

Joe Pavia: What is the bequest that Pope Francis has near for you? What volition you retrieve him for?

Cardinal Thomas Collins: Well, each pope has a antithetic style, a antithetic mode of doing things. And I deliberation that Pope Francis was precise overmuch funny successful reaching retired to radical who are a mediocre and struggling people, oregon radical that are connected the margins. And that's ever an important portion of our Christian faith.

He would look to the illustration of the Good Samaritan arsenic being a precise important exemplary for our faith. I deliberation that would beryllium his benignant of his legacy.

Joe Pavia: Can you connection immoderate reflection connected Saturday's ceremonial work astatine St. Peter's Basilica?

Cardinal Thomas Collins: It'll beryllium successful beforehand of St. Peter's. And past we each travel retired to observe mass. Leaders of the satellite volition beryllium determination arsenic well.

And past the assemblage of the Holy Father volition beryllium taken backmost into St. Peter's. And past it volition beryllium taken instantly to different church, St. Mary Major, which helium loved. He ever would spell determination earlier and aft a travel astir the world. And it's the oldest Marian religion successful honour of Our Lady successful Rome. And helium volition beryllium buried there, not successful St. Peter's. 

This is simply a precise solemn moment, a precise important one. I deliberation each of america cardinals are conscionable asking everyone, each the 1.5 cardinal Catholics and everybody else, each of our beloved friends and neighbours of different faiths, to commune for america arsenic we participate into this astir solemn and profound humanities work we have, to take the adjacent successor of Saint Peter.

And that's the happening we're each entering is simply a precise prayerful process. And it's conscionable thing that I recovered my different clip doing this to beryllium astir inspiring. You know, it's conscionable precise inspiring. 

Joe Pavia: What tin you archer america past astir what happens wrong the conclave? I'm not definite if you saw the movie Conclave yourself?

Cardinal Thomas Collins: I'm not going to spot the movie.

The premise of the movie is that the pope tin benignant of secretly sanction a cardinal and the feline shows up with the missive they accidental 'Oh my gosh, he's a cardinal who knew! Come connected in!'  And that conscionable doesn't happen.

The pope tin clasp disconnected the nationalist naming of a idiosyncratic due to the fact that they're successful danger, basically, but they don't go a cardinal truly until — it has to beryllium publically announced. And truthful erstwhile they can't adjacent get the basal premise of the movie close benignant of makes you wonderment astir the remainder of it. 

But I've been done a existent conclave and the existent conclave is beautiful. It's overmuch much breathtaking than the phony one.

Joe Pavia: Take america done what happens astatine a existent conclave.

Cardinal Thomas Collins: It's a precise prayerful happening and it's remarkable. The conclave I went to earlier determination were 117 electors, portion determination 135 this time. The Holy Father named a batch much and truthful we were conscionable gathering the cardinals who are arriving successful Rome, spot by bit.

Altogether determination are 252 if you number the ones implicit the property of 80 and they person a close to come. They don't person to come, but the ones who are nether 80 person to come. It's an work that we person to beryllium there. 

And truthful we've been having these meetings successful the morning. We statesman with a prayer, past the caller ones, recently arrived, instrumentality the oath of office. And past we sermon antithetic issues similar the mounting up the ceremonial and absorption benignant issues of organizing it.

And past gradually aft the funeral, from my acquisition of the past conclave, that volition displacement past to the needs of the church.

And we person immoderate outer radical travel successful and speech to us about spiritual guidance for america and the antithetic departments of the Roman government of the church, explicate what their what their needs are.

Then each of the Cardinals would springiness a small look of what helium felt we needed.

And truthful it's a precise prayerful thing. We statesman with a supplication and extremity with supplication and you person these java breaks halfway through, which are really precise important due to the fact that the cardinals get to speech to 1 different and get to cognize 1 different a spot more. So that's a utile thing. 

But erstwhile we telephone the conclave itself... we spell disperse to the churches successful Rome. I'm the Cardinal Priest of St. Patrick's Church. So I went to my parish due to the fact that each the cardinals are fundamentally clergy of Rome, honorary. We commune with the radical of Rome and past we're going to elite their bishop. 

And erstwhile you spell into Santa Marta's House, this large residence, [adjacent to St. Peter's Basilica successful Vatican City] it's like going into an airport. You spell done a metallic detector and you person yourself scanned and you spell successful and past they instrumentality you up to the room and they chopped the seal connected the door. You spell in. And these rooms are utilized by priests who enactment successful the Vatican erstwhile there's not a conclave, but they're meant for a conclave.

And the slots connected the windows are each shut, the telephones are cut, their TV is chopped and they got jamming devices connected the roof. So you were truly isolated. And that's truthful you tin deliberation without pressure. Gives you the state to think.  That's what conclave means with the key. That's what it means. They fastener you in.

Joe Pavia: There person been media stories astir beforehand runners to beryllium pope. Are cardinals, if I could usage the term, and possibly this is not close ... lobbying for the role?

Cardinal Thomas Collins: Every cardinal evidently has a batch of acquisition and has precise beardown views connected wherever the absorption of the religion should go, and possibly radical who they deliberation would beryllium the 1 to pb the religion the mode that the Lord wants it to go.

And that's each brought out in the small speeches the cardinals tin marque to conscionable springiness their views to the different cardinals. They're gathering each the time, you know, and saying 'Who bash you deliberation should beryllium the pope?' That's what we're determination for basically. And past praying astir it. 

I was precise impressed during the past conclave determination were a batch of groups getting together. And I went to 2 of them past clip wherever a full clump of cardinals get unneurotic for meal and past say, 'Well, what bash you think? Who bash you deliberation would beryllium good?' And they gave their views, which is the constituent of what we're doing.

But past erstwhile you get successful there, there's nary information for pope.

You conscionable instrumentality the archetypal ballot and everyone votes and it's a small paper that says 'I take for pope' and a line.    

You constitute the sanction and you spell up. You look up astatine the Last Judgment by Michelangelo with each kinds of cardinals and popes going to hellhole and say, 'I committedness that the 1 I'm voting for is the 1 I genuinely judge should beryllium the pope.'

You driblet it into this metallic benignant of a bowl. And erstwhile they're each done the countdown, to beryllium definite we got the close number, and past they work retired the names.

Each 1 of america has a small database we tin check, check, cheque arsenic the names are called. So we're each similar scrutineers. And each clip a ballot is work retired it's enactment connected a small drawstring truthful we don't get them mixed up.

And if we don't get 2 thirds, they pain them successful a small oven astatine the different extremity of the Sistine Chapel and the celebrated achromatic fume goes up.

Joe Pavia: And past the speech continues [between the cardinals] earlier the adjacent ballot?

Cardinal Thomas Collins: The archetypal ballot is generally, you mightiness say, a nominating ballot. You get galore radical successful 1 vote, 2 vote, 3 vote, 1 vote, but immoderate get 10 oregon 20 oregon 30 votes.

And truthful past we spell back, we commune and deliberation and person dinner. And past the adjacent time we travel back. And by that clip radical person chatted about, about, OK, who looks similar they're maybe, I don't know, 5 oregon six cardinals who are getting treble digits of votes, you know, oregon immoderate the fig mightiness be.

And truthful by that time, the adjacent ballot, usually the ones and twos driblet disconnected much oregon less, and numbers commencement accumulating towards a fewer of the cardinals.

And past we instrumentality different ballot and different until 1 of the numbers goes implicit 2 thirds.

And erstwhile that happens, we decorativeness counting the ballots and past the main cardinal says 'Do you accept?' And if the cardinal says yes, that's erstwhile helium becomes the pope.

There's immoderate uncommon lawsuit successful past that helium wasn't a bishop already, past he'd beryllium ordained a bishop close away. But I mean, they're each bishops beauteous well. Absolutely. And truthful past they inquire 'What sanction bash you choose?' And helium gives a peculiar sanction for his clip arsenic pope. And helium picks immoderate his sanction helium wishes to pick.

And past helium goes into the country of tears, arsenic they telephone it, and helium comes retired dressed successful white. And they person a tiny and mean and a ample cassock, conscionable successful case. He comes retired dressed successful white. He looks similar the pope and well, helium is the pope. And past we each spell up and greet him and congratulate him. Then helium goes retired connected the balcony and blesses the world.

It's not a concealed process due to the fact that there's a regularisation publication we travel scrupulously called The Universal Flock. You tin get it connected the Vatican website. And we conscionable turned the pages and we'll beryllium doing everything, immoderate it says to do. So this is not a similar what you mightiness telephone it a hidden process. Who votes for what is evidently a confidential but the process itself is unfastened to anyone who wants to instrumentality a look astatine the Vatican website.

Joe Pavia: Cardinal Collins, immoderate accidental you're going to beryllium pope?

Cardinal Thomas Collins:  Well...(laughs) Oh my,  no. I've been precise happy! That's not going to happen. But I deliberation determination are several, fantastic cardinals, anyone of whom would beryllium a fantastic pope. And we conscionable person to benignant of travel to a discernment and commune and anticipation to God, you know, inquire God to usher america to prime whichever is the close 1 for now. And I'm definite God volition assistance america to bash that.

LISTEN | Cardinal Thomas Collins connected the enactment of a caller pope: