The only Maltese Cardinal at the Vatican, Cardinal Mario Grech is being described as a possible candidate for the Papacy by the foreign press. However, he is not listed among major bookmakers and betting platforms as a potential favourite. Two favourite cardinals among betters right now are Italian cardinal Pietro Parolin and Filipino cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle.
Cardinal Mario Grech is the Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, and has often been described as a strong ally to Pope Francis. In an interview with Corriere Della Sera, Cardinal Grech said that before a synodal assembly, Pope Francis insisted with him to include consecrated individuals and priests and to really listen to their voices, but that the assembly should remain for the bishops. The synodal assembly is the official gathering of bishops used to settle religious, theological and spiritual matters of the Church. During Pope Francis’ term, the synodal assembly was characterised by a conservative opposition to the Pope’s progressive stances on various issues, but especially his position on the LGBT community.
Cardinal Grech, who is also a member of the Vatican’s Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, was Bishop of Gozo before being appointed Cardinal, and in Malta represented the hard-line faction of the Church. He was very popular for his regular incendiary Sunday sermons against non-believers and atheists, and on the eve of the divorce referendum, he made a scathing attack on advocates for the introduction of divorce, even calling them “wolves in sheep’s clothing”. Eventually, he toned down his positions when he was appointed Cardinal and increasingly backed the Pope throughout his tenure.
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