Sir David Moxon: former representative to the Holy See on the death of Pope Francis

The openness and compassion of Pope Francis may carry over to the next pontiff to take up his title. 

The Head of the Catholic Church died last night after a stroke - he was 88. 

A period of mourning has begun. 

Worshippers will flock to the Vatican in the coming days to farewell Pope Francis, including the Cardinals who will elect his successor. 

Former representative to the Holy See, Sir David Moxon, says the Pope chose most of the Cardinals - so he'd expect them to value a warm and loving Church.

"I think that it would be highly likely that the next Pope would be someone who would respect the pontificate of Pope Francis."

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Afternoon. So the Vatican has swung into action following the
Pope's death. The College of Cardinals are going to decide
today when to move his body into Saint Peter's Basilica
for a public viewing. Now. So, David Moxon met the
Pope a number of times. He was the Archbishop of
Canterbury's representative to the Holy See, and he's with us now, David, Hya,
hi Hi. There was he as fun a personality in
real life as he's been portrayed?

Speaker 2 (00:23):
Well? I think meeting him personally, behind the big formal
statements and the big receptions, he comes across as relaxed
as he does in public. I don't think he was
two different people. It was kind of like setting down
with your favorite uncle when you were with him one
to one, and he was often like that with a crowd.
He called them brothers and sisters. He spoke anecdotally, personally, lovingly,

(00:49):
like an uncle in a crowd of forty five thousand people,
or sitting down and say with King y Tu Haitia
or people from all over the world. He was the same.

Speaker 1 (00:59):
Was that a personality or was that his training as
a Jesuit priest.

Speaker 2 (01:02):
I think it's a bit of both. He grew up
in an Italian family in Argentina and that Italian love
of family and cousins and friends and guests. I think
table hospitality is very real, extroverted, warm, loving culture. I
think that was from his childhood. But the Jesuits also
took the view that you should welcome everyone as if

(01:24):
they were Christ. You should see the image of God
and everybody, and I think that combined with his upbringing.

Speaker 1 (01:31):
Do you think he was the reformer in the Church
that we had expected him to be.

Speaker 2 (01:35):
He was intending to be the reformer we hoped he
would be. And what he found, as everybody finds in
a large global institution with huge numbers of volunteers, is
that you have to be very careful, you have to
be very evocative, you have to be patient, you have
to look to the long goal. And he achieved some

(01:59):
major wins, and he had some major areas where he
wasn't able to achieve everything he hoped. But I think
all in all, he did a remarkable job. Given the
vast variety of people around the world who belong to
the Catholic Church, but also their colleagues and other denominations,
and other faiths.

Speaker 1 (02:19):
I mean one indication, I guess what we're looking at
to see whether the church has moved in a more
liberal direction under him, you know, for the longer term,
is whether the next pope is a liberal as well.
What do you rate the chances of that happening or
will it be a swing back to conservatism?

Speaker 2 (02:35):
Only a Roman Catholic in the courier in the conclave
could answer that. My view as an observer partner from
the outside is that most of the cardinals and the
conclave are chosen by the Pope there off that age group,
that he chose them and put them in position so
he would be I did progress the mission of the church,

(02:58):
who would help to keep the church open, unhospitable, warm
and loving and like him. And I think that it
would be highly likely that the next pope would be
someone who would respect the pontificate of Pope Francis.

Speaker 1 (03:13):
Hiy, David, thank you. I really appreciate your time that
Sir David Moxon, who is the former Anglican representative to
the Holy See. For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive
listen live to news talks.

Speaker 2 (03:22):
It'd be from four pm weekdays or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio