Next Monday morning, the Cardinals go to the polls. After what I suppose has been a week of weighing and bargaining, they will have arrived at the crux of it all. Though this is happening after a 26-year papacy which has been characterised by the vigour and energy shown by Pope John Paul II, it seems that all the ritual of the conclaves which have elected popes during the past centuries will repeat itself.

Speculation has been rife as to who may or may not be elected but finally it boils down to either two-thirds of the voting cardinals opting for one person during the first 12 days of the conclave or else an absolute majority in favour of one person after 12 days of voting.

However, the person is not as important as his ability to stand out in the middle of so many who are definitely capable of holding the seat of Peter. The choice has to be of the Best of the Best.

I am sure that the new pope, given time to settle in, will have a definite effect on the proceedings and future planning of the Church’s policies. Though definitely bound by dogma and teachings, the pontiff can wield much power, in that he may over-rule centuries-old laws and regulations and at the touch of a pen introduce new concepts and ideals which to many may still seem controversial, while others may already think that major amendments to policy should be the agenda of the day.

The new pontiff may change such regulations, but, as has happened over the last 2000 years or so, the basics remain the same. Those concepts which up to now seem inexplicable will remain inexplicable, and for those demanding explanations, such dogma will remain the basis for discussion and questions. That is what belief is all about – accepting as true that which we may accept through faith but cannot explain in logical and real terms.

What do we expect of the new pope?

• Definitely a spiritual leader who, like his predecessors, will be able to champion peace and religious tolerance and at the same time spread the word of the Lord and keep the Catholic community as near to the Church as possible.

• Definitely a pontiff who will face, discuss, challenge and try to solve certain problems which have been shelved over the past few years. There are questions as to whether contraception is to be accepted, whether the church should ordain women priests, whether or not priests should be permitted to marry, whether it is high time to look at various regulations and restrictions taken up by the Church in its running and administration over the centuries and update them – either giving better explanations as to why they are necessary or, in some cases, doing away with those which in today’s world may be outdated.

• Definitely a person who will radiate hope and peace of mind. A person who the faithful can easily place as their role model in everyday life and who will attract their attention every time he chooses to look out of that third window from the right at Saint Peter’s Square or at any public appearance in which he may choose to participate.

• Definitely a person who has no hidden skeletons in his wardrobe – as his past history, upbringing, and early life will be in the limelight and examined by the ever-searching clinical eye of journalists and all.

• Definitely a great statesman who, although acting with the help and advise of the Vatican setup, will be the focal and reference point for which so many world leaders will look when they seek advice and comfort at difficult moments.

• Definitely a champion of the down-trodden – a mover of situations which are deemed to be wrong by the world in general and a person who goes out of his way to right a wrong situation.

• Definitely a loving father and a true friend, from whom advice may come though his speeches, his writings, his letters and by his modus vivendi.

Pope John Paul II was all this and more. I am sure that in their choice, the cardinals at next week’s conclave will seek that uniting force which will be all this and more. They will discuss and think but most of all they will pray for the inspiration which will move them towards the right choice.

In the meantime, most of Malta and the rest of the Catholic world will, one way or another, be glued to the various means of communication, awaiting the white smoke emerging from the Sistine chapel and those famous words Habemus Papam.

Then life will more or less return to normal.

Tony Abela is Parliamentary Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister