4 days until conclave: Spanish cardinal Cristóbal López Romero renounces possibility of succeeding Francis

"If they elect me, I'll flee to Sicily." Four days before the election for the future pope begins, Spanish Cardinal Cristóbal López Romero , Archbishop of Rabat, threw in the towel.

" I have absolutely no ambitions . I could never imagine myself in that role," López Romero told the newspaper Il Messagero.

A strange attitude, despite the fact that the 72-year-old cardinal, who shares ideas very similar to Francis's, is not among the favorites, and even more so because, in general, discretion prevails and there are no public statements about who the future pope might be.

But for this emblematic prelate of Francis's beloved "peripheries," the papacy holds no appeal: "those who desire it are driven by a thirst for power," he noted in a statement in Italian.

With four days to go before the conclave begins on Wednesday, the suspense remains high over who will occupy the throne of St. Peter. This Saturday morning, the cardinals met for the ninth time in a "general congregation."

A total of 177 cardinals were present, said Matteo Bruni , director of the Vatican press office, at a press conference.

There will be no meetings on Sunday, the day of Mass. On Monday, two general congregations will meet: the first at 9:00 a.m. and the other at 5:00 p.m., Bruni specified.

At these meetings, held in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, cardinal electors and non-electors debate the Church's priority issues.

"Hope"

But for the speaker, they also represent an opportunity to be convincing or to outline the ideal profile of the next pope. On Saturday, "the desire was expressed for a prophetic next pope" and for "the Church to no longer isolate itself in the cenacle," but to "bring light to a world in desperate need of hope," Bruni indicated.

Who will best meet these criteria?

Will the next pontiff follow the reformist and outspoken approach pioneered by Francis? "We recognize what he did, but no pope is perfect, no one can do everything," commented the Archbishop of Singapore, William Seng Chye Goh , who is considered a conservative.

"We will find the successor of Saint Peter" at the head of a Church that has some 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide, he added.

The Archbishop of Algiers, Jean Paul Vesco, considered a progressive, expressed his "deep hope" for a future pope in the same line as Francis, who "was like the father of the prodigal son, who opened his arms and his heart wide. That is what we expect from a Holy Father."

But before this historic vote, one "doesn't feel prepared, of course not."

"We must discover the one the Lord has already chosen," he added. "We would have needed much more time for shared prayer, but I am confident that, at the right time, we will be ready and give the Church the pope the Lord desires," he emphasized.

The election will take place behind closed doors in the Sistine Chapel, where the 133 cardinal electors, who must be under 80 years of age, will be confined until a name receives a two-thirds majority.

Then, white smoke will come out of the chimney placed on the roof of the chapel.

On Saturday, the Vatican press office released a short video of preparations in the chapel, where a wooden platform and a heavy stove have been set up in one corner where the secret votes will be burned.

Hours earlier, US President Donald Trump had posted a photo of himself on his Truth Social network, apparently generated by artificial intelligence, in which he is seen dressed in the papal cassock.