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606 points saikatsg | 5 comments | | HN request time: 0.21s | source
1. antognini ◴[] No.43928058[source]
The field of candidates in this conclave was relatively open compared to the past few conclaves, so it is a little surprising that the cardinals were able to come to a consensus by the fourth ballot. That suggests that one of the initial front runners (likely Parolin or Tagle) was able to generate momentum early on and get the 2/3 majority pretty quickly. But we'll see in about 30 minutes if the cardinals have surprised us all with someone completely different!
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2. rpmisms ◴[] No.43928250[source]
I'm rooting for Sarah, but Tagle seems pretty decent.
3. zdragnar ◴[] No.43928376[source]
Given the number of cardinals Pope Francis appointed, I would imagine there's a fairly strong consensus at least on the direction of the church, which in theory would eliminate a strongly divided conclave, at least.
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4. Vox_Leone ◴[] No.43928467[source]
The brevity of the conclave election seems to signal a continuation of Francis' policies
5. antognini ◴[] No.43928480[source]
It's not quite so obvious that all of Francis's appointees were lockstop in line with his vision. Up until the last consistory he tended to appoint cardinals from the "peripheries," places that did not historically have a strong presence in the Church. (For instance he appointed a cardinal from Mongolia and one from the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Australia.) These cardinals are a bit of wildcard.

But given that the conclave was so short that does suggest that there was not much division over direction.