Conclave veil lifted slightly in cardinal’s Blenheim talk

IMOGEN BROPHY

St Mary’s Church was packed on Saturday evening as Cardinal John Dew shared a firsthand account of the conclave last May.

Cardinal Dew was one of 133 Cardinals and the only New Zealander involved in the historic process that resulted in the election of Robert Francis Prevost as Pope Leo XIV.

Speaking to an attentive audience in Blenheim, Cardinal Dew reflected on the experience. The speech drew laughs, nods and sighs.

Event organiser Cathie Bell said the strong turnout reflected the community’s fascination with the conclave.

“I’ve read the book, I’ve seen the film and I was raised a Catholic, but it’s nothing like hearing from somebody who’s actually been there,” she said.

After arriving in the Vatican, Cardinal Dew witnessed thousands of mourners paying their respects to Pope Francis.

Among the most memorable moments, he said, was being able to wander through St Peter’s Basilica alone and privately pay his respects before the funeral.

There, the cardinal bumped into several world leaders, including the Prime Minister and New Zealand Ambassador – both of whom, he said, assumed he had come specifically to meet them.

Cardinal Dew described the conclave as a deeply prayerful process centred on reflection and discernment.

Each cardinal wrote a name on a ballot paper before declaring that their choice was the person they believed God was calling to lead the Church.

The declaration was made while facing Michelangelo’s “The Last Judgment”, adding weight to the significance of the moment.

Decision time
Throughout the voting, Cardinal Dew sat beneath the section of the Sistine Chapel ceiling depicting God’s finger reaching toward Adam in “The Creation of Adam”.

It was there that he began paying closer attention to Cardinal Prevost.

“My first day, I was getting a cup of coffee and there was a cardinal from England and one of the Italians. I heard one of them say, ‘We need to watch Cardinal Prevost very carefully’,” he recalled.

“The comment was that he’s very astute and nothing will shake him, and that’s when I started taking note of him.”

As support for Prevost grew, Cardinal Dew said he watched the future pope become increasingly aware that his life was about to change forever.

The cardinal expressed it was important for him to tell the community about the approachability of the Pope while encouraging people to engage with his message.

“I think people should listen to what Leo is saying,” Cardinal Dew stressed.  “It’s not just for the Catholic world - it’s for the world.”