(ANS – Vatican City) – Among the Salesian cardinals who will take part in the Conclave beginning Wednesday, May 7, is Cardinal Cristóbal López Romero, Archbishop of Rabat, the capital of Morocco. He was appointed bishop and later made a cardinal by Pope Francis, whom he fondly remembered during these days of mourning for the first Latin American Pope: “For me, Pope Francis was like a father, a pastoral model, and a friend who knew me.”

Speaking on the sidelines of the General Congregations of Cardinals held in these pre-Conclave days, Cardinal López Romero shared heartfelt memories of the late Holy Father and the deepening of their relationship over time.

“I first greeted him in one of those gatherings where there are 200 people and the Pope shakes hands with everyone. Then in 2018, he appointed me Bishop of Rabat at the request of the relevant Congregation. When I got to know him a bit better later on, he even admitted he’d named me bishop without knowing what I looked like.”

Their connection became more personal in 2019, when Pope Francis visited Morocco and López Romero served as his host. “He came to support us and to strengthen us in our faith. My fondest memory of that visit was a private trip we took together to visit a social project. It was just the driver, security, the Pope, and me. We sat in the backseat, chatting in Spanish and laughing—20 minutes on the way there and 30 on the way back. That’s when I got to tell him who I was and what the Church in Morocco was like. I must have made a good impression—he laughed a lot.”

That trip, along with other significant gestures like the signing of the Document on Human Fraternity in Abu Dhabi the same year, left a lasting impact on the Muslim world. Cardinal López Romero observed, “How is the Islamic world reacting to Pope Francis’ absence? I’ve received many messages of condolence and support. His visit to Morocco left a deep impression. Even the King told me that the Pope’s visit would be remembered forever.”

In various media interviews, Cardinal López Romero has also highlighted other key aspects of Pope Francis’ pontificate. “He placed great emphasis on the Mediterranean. I was with him in Bari and Marseille—he gave strong momentum to a Mediterranean theology, a pastoral approach that envisions the Mediterranean not as a frontier of peace, but as a peace without frontiers.”

He also credited Pope Francis with fully embracing the Church’s universality—an idea now evident in what is expected to be the most international Conclave in history. “Thanks to Pope Francis, it’s now clearer than ever that the Church is truly universal and Catholic—there are no geographical limits. After 50 years of a Polish Pope, a German Pope, and an Argentine Pope, why not a Pope from Myanmar, Timor, Australia, North America, or Africa? Everything is open.”

As for his own alignment, the Salesian cardinal is unequivocal: “I’m fully in tune with everything Francis proposed—his way of acting, speaking, and leading. But I don’t say I ‘belong to Francis.’ Some say, ‘I’m of Benedict XVI,’ others, ‘I’m of Francis,’ or ‘of John Paul II.’ I’m of Christ. I’m of the Gospel. And if I love Francis, it’s because he’s pure Gospel.”

And when asked about the kind of Pope the Church needs now, Cardinal López Romero offered a clear vision: “We need a Pope who can build unity among all, someone inclusive who excludes no one. A Pope who inspires us to walk together—because the Church is a pilgrim people that doesn’t stand still. We must move forward, but we must move together. And we need a Pope who connects us deeply to Christ, to the roots, to the source, and helps us drink from that fountain. Francis helped me reconnect with both the Gospel and tradition. And by tradition, I mean not the 19th century, but the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th centuries. The most traditional thing we have is the Gospel—it’s the source of the entire stream.”

As for himself—aware that, like all other electors, he could theoretically be chosen—he deflects with a bit of humor and a nod to Francis’ own homeland: “It would be like being told that Messi is retiring and I have to take his place.”

Sources: El Confidencial, RTVE