Is Emmanuel Macron trying to pick the next Pope?

Is Emmanuel Macron trying to pick the next pope?

Right-wing newspapers in Italy have accused the French president of shady behind the scene dealings ahead of the conclave to pick the next Bishop of Rome.

But what happened? What do we know? Is Macron really trying to influence the papal election?

Let’s take a closer look:

What do we know?

As per Euro News, Macron has had a number of meetings with top clergy of the Church on the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral.

They singled out two meetings in particular – Macron met Archbishop of Marseille Jean-Marc Aveline, Bishop of Ajaccio François Bustillo, Apostolic Nuncio to the US Christophe Pierre and Archbishop Emeritus of Lyon Philippe Barbarin at the French embassy on April 26.

While all the men are Cardinals, Aveline and Bustillo are in contention to be the next pope.

The press have called Macron’s actions the “interventionism of the modern Sun King” – a reference to Louis XIV.

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“It’s not enough for him to lecture Europe. Macron even wants to choose the pope," a headline in La Verita cried.

“Macron even crashes the conclave,” the newspaper Libero added.

As per Le Monde, the newspapers have close ties to Prime Minister Georgia Meloni’s Italian government.

Macron also met Andrea Riccardi, founder of the Community of Sant’Egidio – a powerful Church group – at a high-profile restaurant in Rome.

As per Express.UK, the organisation is known for its relationship with the former pope and Macron.

Its progressive positions on issues like immigration has aroused the ire of critics.

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‘Macron seeks to understand process’

Riccardi, however, has scoffed at the claims.

He told Italian newspaper Il Foglio any notion of a  conspiracy was “idiocy”.

Riccardi and Macron had “fettuccine, not escargot,” he  added.

“Emmanuel Macron seeks to understand the process, not to influence it,” a source from Sant’Egidio told the outlet.

The Il Foglio newspaper itself, a liberal daily, also mocked the claims as a “big plot” dreamed up by nationalist elements within Italy’s ruling government.

Euro News further pointed out that it is extremely unlikely either Aveline and Bustillo could be the next pontiff.

Aveline isn’t fluent enough in Italian, while Bustillo is considered too young.

Also, the last French pope was in the 14th Century – Pope Gregory XI, who passed away in 1378.

The stories about Macron allegedly trying to influence the choice of the next pope comes amid a history of tensions between him and Meloni.

As per Express News, their very first meeting in October 2022 after Meloni’s victory saw a tense handshake and visible awkwardness.

The two leaders have repeatedly clashed on a number of issues over the years including abortion and immigration.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump is being slammed for posting an artificial intelligence-generated image of himself dressed as pope.

The image, shared Friday night on Trump’s Truth Social site and later reposted by the White House on its official X account, raised eyebrows on social media and at the Vatican, which is still in the period of nine days of official mourning following Francis’ death on April 21.

Catholic cardinals have been celebrating daily Masses in his memory and are due to open the conclave to elect his successor on Wednesday.

This comes after Trump joked last week about his interest in the vacancy. “I’d like to be pope. That would be my number one choice,” the thrice married president, who is not Catholic, told reporters.

With inputs from agencies