The bishop for the Diocese of Mackenzie-Fort Smith is hoping the next leader of the Catholic Church will follow in the late Pope Francis' more progressive footsteps.
Francis died on April 21 following a stroke that left him in a coma and ultimately resulted in heart failure. His funeral took place in the Vatican City on Wednesday morning at 2:00 a.m. MDT.
Bishop Jon Hansen told SA国际影视传媒 on Tuesday that he felt Francis was looking to bring the church to the present day and that he was the first Pope he started frequently quoting.
"I felt a real kinship with his ideas and with the themes he found important," he said.
In particular, he noted FrancisSA国际影视传媒� concern for the environment, specifically he wrote addressing concerns like climate change.
On a broader note, Francis was also relatively progressive, Hansen said.
"He was trying to move things into the modern age and to take modern concerns seriously. But at the same time, he was not outside of the church. He took the church tradition very seriously," said Hansen.
Hansen hopes the next pope, whoever it is, will continue that progressive pattern.
"We've been set forward on a course by Pope Francis that I think is a healthy one," he said. "I truly hope the next pope will not only encourage those themes, but will continue to move us forward."
Francis appointed Hansen as bishop of the diocese, which represents communities across the NWT and Cambridge Bay in Nunavut, in 2017.
Hansen explained he got a call from a nuncio - a diplomatic representative of the Pope - who broke the news to him, describing the experience as surreal.
"You don't expect a call like that every day," said Hansen. "It was an important moment in my life and one that I had to ponder carefully, but ultimately it was a real honour to be selected."
According to the traditions of the Catholic Church, the diocese cannot hold an official memorial mass until a nine-day mourning period has ended.
The diocese will announce the date for a mass for Francis in the coming week or so, Hansen said. It can happen at any of the churches within the diocese and Hansen said heSA国际影视传媒檚 hoping its pastors will offer a special day for Francis.
St. Patrick's Church held its regular weekday mass on Wednesday evening, which Hansen said was meant to be a chance to gather and pray as a faith community.
"We (offered) prayers for Pope Francis and remembered the important themes of his pontificate," he said.
The new pope will be elected by the College of Cardinals in what's called a conclave, but not every cardinal will be part of the process. Under the rules set out by the college, only those cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to take part. That means of the 252 cardinals at the time of Francis' death, only 135 will be electors.
Catholic Church rules state that a conclave begins between 15 to 20 days following the death or resignation of a Pope, but it can begin before the 15-day mark if all eligible electors are present. The conclave will happen at the Sistine Chapel and will continue until a new pope is elected with a two-thirds majority of ballots cast.
The results of each vote held by the cardinals is signified by a plume of smoke. If the smoke is black, it means the cardinals will hold another vote. If it's white, it means a pope has been elected.
