Archbishop of Goa Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão standing along with other cardinals at the St Peter’s Basilica as the new Pope Leo XIV came out of the balcony on May 8.
Photo Credits: Vatican News
PANAJI
It was for the first time in the 500-year-old history of the Archdiocese of Goa, that an archbishop of Goa participated in the conclave to elect a successor to the late Pope Francis. In an exclusive interview with THE GOAN, Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão shared his thoughts and experiences before, during and after the Conclave, sitting next to the new Pontiff at dinner on the night of his election, and his hopes and aspirations for the new Holy Father.
THE GOAN: As a Cardinal participating in the Conclave for the first time, what were your thoughts as you began preparing for the Conclave?
CARDINAL FERRÃO: Since my creation as a Cardinal on August 27, 2022, I have always had before my eyes and in my mind the primary and onerous responsibility of electing a Successor to Saint Peter.
When this moment arrived with the news of the untimely passing of Pope Francis on April 21, 2025, my feelings were very mixed. In three distinct ways.
First, I felt deep grief for the loss of such a beloved Holy Father on a global, ecclesial, and personal level. Pope Francis was the “people’s pope,” a moral voice in the world, especially on behalf of the poor, the underdog, and the suffering, and he was a father and friend to me and my flock.
Second, I sensed feelings of anxiety – this was my first experience of a Conclave to elect a new Pope, even as I felt quietly confident and joyfully expectant regarding the successor of Pope Francis.
Third, as the days went on, the serious responsibility dawned even more within me of being one of a handful of men, called to discern whom the Lord wished to guide the Church in these challenging and troubled times – I knew that, above all else, this meant being attentive and docile to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
TG: You may have got to interact with a number of Cardinals from across the world during a period of consultations and interactions ahead of the Conclave. Was there any particular focus on the qualities of the new pope?
CF: There were two key times of interaction immediately ahead of the Conclave that began on the afternoon of May 7: the General Congregations and informal moments, such as coffee breaks and meals, with my brother Cardinals. I would say that, with the passing of time, a beautiful and harmonious consensus emerged regarding the qualities of the new pope.
The Holy Father would be open to taking forward with dialogue and in a synodal spirit the ecclesial renewal and missionary vision of the Church brought about by recent Holy Fathers from Pope Saint John XXIII to Pope Francis, as set forth in the Second Vatican Council.
Essentially that means a Church – made up of all of us – serving as a beacon of the Good News of God’s salvation in word and in deed, always alert to the needs of modern woman and man and responding to the signs of the times.
TG: As you entered the magnificent Sistine Chapel for this momentous event, what is it that struck you the most?
CF: I would say the fact that the Cardinal electors were accompanied by a deep sense of prayer, liturgy, and beauty. I think of beginning in the Pauline Chapel with Michelangelo’s awesome frescoes of the crucifixion of Saint Peter – the first Pope – and the conversion of Saint Paul – the Apostle to the Gentiles.
The procession of the Cardinals to the great Sistine Chapel, invoking in chant the assistance of the Saints from both the East and the West. Once in place, singing together the Veni Creator Spiritus – “Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest” – to descend upon us to enlighten our choice.
Placing our hand on the Sacred Scriptures, as we swore solemnly, one by one and by name, to abide by the rules of the Conclave and to keep complete secrecy. All of this under the gaze of the 30 first Holy Fathers, set in the Sistine Chapel windows, the fresco of “The Handing of the Keys,” which was about to happen before our very eyes, and, of course, Michelangelo’s dominating fresco of the Last Judgment.
As each Cardinal placed his vote under the gaze of Christ the Judge, the words of Pope Saint John Paul II kept coming back to me: “All things are bare before His eyes.”
Archbishop of Goa Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão taking the Oath of the Cardinals on May 7 at the Conclave in the Sistine Chapel to elect the new pope. Source: Vatican News
TG: Despite the rich diversity of Cardinals from around 70 countries, a pope was elected within 24 hours. Did the 133 Cardinals have a broad idea of possible candidates to succeed our beloved Pope Francis?
CF: Of course, there was a broad slate of possible candidates. We heard names in the press every day. I, too, had my own thoughts. Yet, the entire Conclave proved to be a profoundly spiritual experience.
The outside world spoke of deals, pacts, and wrangling, much as one finds in politics. I can honestly say that the Conclave was entirely peaceful, serene, and smooth.
Just as the first Apostles did not choose Saint Peter as “the rock upon which I (Christ) shall build my Church” (Mt 16:18) so, too, we were not choosing Peter’s successor but discerning and confirming the Lord’s choice in that man.
The rapidity of the choice only showed how it was the Holy Spirit, and not our human spirit, that gave birth to a broad consensus among 133 Cardinals of such differing ages, backgrounds, nations, and cultures.
TG: You may have interacted with Cardinal Robert Prevost before he was elected pope. What were those features about him that impressed you the most?
CF: Prior to the Conclave, I had not interacted with Cardinal Prevost in any direct way. In the last two synodal assemblies in Rome, however, in which both of us participated, I observed him as a calm, simple man of God with a great love for the Church, a clear theological vision and committed to the missionary impulse of the Second Vatican Council and taken forward by Pope Francis, especially to the peripheries.
All of this was confirmed immediately after Pope Leo XIV was elected. At the celebratory dinner immediately following the election at Domus Sanctae Marthae, I found myself seated next to the new Pontiff. As I had experienced him before, Pope Leo was affable and caring, respectful, and humble.
I was particularly impressed, as I sat beside him on the very night of his election as the 267th Successor of Saint Peter, by his serenity and listening ear – even now as Supreme Pontiff – and his wide knowledge of diverse situations in the Church.
His Augustinian religious roots shone through – what counts is our encounter and relationship with Jesus Christ in love, gratitude, and joy.
TG: What are your hopes and aspirations for the new Holy Father?
CF: Pope Leo XIV is already revealing himself as deeply rooted in Christ and truly committed to the evangelizing mission of the Church in the world.
As he has already done in just a few addresses, I am confident that he will continue to speak with moral authority on global issues that confront humanity in our times, such as upholding human dignity, the scourge of war, religious freedom, migration, ecology, and the challenges of AI (artificial intelligence).
The Holy Father has already committed the Church to pursuing dialogue and reconciliation through synodality and ecumenism.
TG: As cardinal and archbishop of Goa, President of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI), and President of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC), you will be expected to meet the Holy Father on a regular basis. As head of the Catholic Church in Goa, India, and Asia, what is it that you would like to convey to him?
CF: Rather than conveying preconceived thoughts, I would like to emphasise the need to listen to each other, as Pope Leo has also encouraged.
The Holy Father has already provided a framework in which concerns that are dear to us in Goa, India, and Asia, such as peace building, inter-religious and ecumenical dialogue, care for the least ones, of Mother Earth and our common home, must be addressed.
His first words from the balcony of Saint Peter are that framework: “Peace be with you! God loves us, God loves you all, and evil will not prevail! All of us are in God’s hands. So, let us move forward, without fear, together, hand in hand with God and with one another!”
Together as a Church, we wish the light of Christ to shine in our world, guided by our new Holy Father. I shall constantly convey this to Pope Leo XIV, that we are praying for him and are close to him, as he leads the flock to the joys of heaven, where the Supreme Shepherd, Jesus Christ, has gone before.
