British cardinal hopes next Pope is 'like Francis'

An Oxford-based cardinal who will be casting a vote in the election of the next Pope has said the new pontiff needs to say "everybody is welcome".

At the age of 79, Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe is one of the three Britons in the College of Cardinals young enough to vote for the next leader of the Catholic Church.

Pope Francis was buried at Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica in the Vatican on Sunday and his funeral brought together politicians, royalty and 400,000 mourners.

In an interview for BBC Radio 4, Cardinal Radcliffe said he was "confident that we will be given the person that we need at this moment".

Electing the next Pope is the responsibility of any cardinal under the age of 80.

The decision is made during a conclave - the gathering of all the cardinals - and the choice is announced by white smoke, which will billow above the Sistine Chapel.

Cardinal Radcliffe, a theologian and former master of the worldwide Dominican Order, is one of only four Britons in The College of Cardinals, alongside Vincent Nichols, Michael Fitzgerald and Arthur Roche.

He has lived most of his adult life at Blackfriars in Oxford, where he remains a member of the Dominican Community and is also an Honorary Fellow of University of Oxford St John's College, of which he is an alumnus.

He only became a cardinal on 7 December due to his friendship with Pope Francis.

"The first impression you got was of meeting somebody who saw you, who enjoyed being in your presence," Cardinal Radcliffe said of the late pontiff.

"I had a very nasty operation for cancer and when I met him afterwards, I was in a crowd of people.

"He came over - absolutely typical - he knew I still had difficulty talking, and just laid his forehead on mine for twenty seconds and then went away."

• How the next Pope is chosen?
• Why this Conclave means it's harder than ever to predict the next Pope

"We really need somebody like Francis who says 'everybody is welcome'," Cardinal Radcliffe said, referring to Pope Francis's legacy which includes a reformed approach to the Catholic Church's treatment of gay people.

"He showed this welcome not just in words but by opening the doors of the Vatican, inviting people to lunch - transgender people, gay people, people of all sorts.

"So we really need somebody who, like Francis, will be a man of encounter."

Cardinal Radcliffe said he was "not daunted" by the upcoming choice and said a lot of progressives expressed scepticism upon the election of Pope Francis.

"But they were surprised to discover how he's opened the doors to so many people," he said.

"I am confident that we'll be given the person that we need at this moment."

You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.