Rome
CNN
–
When the Cards enter the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday at the start of the Conclave, they are sealed off from the world when it is the process of electing a new Pope.
But that doesn’t stop people from trying to influence the thinking of the 133 high-ranking shops who would choose to succeed the late Pope Francis. Electors were allowed to incorporate written material and were provided with books on their fellow cardinals for the days leading up to Conclave.
The title “The College of Cardinals Report” provides profiles of around 40 pontiffs, including breakdowns on topic positions such as same-sex blessings, female deacon ordination, and church teachings on birth control. Subtext: Choose a Pope who will take the Pope in a different direction.
College of Cardinals reports are freely available online, but are also produced as a large format book. One retired cardinal said he was not eligible to join the Conclave and received a hard copy from CNN.
The project is led by two Catholic journalists from England, Edward Pentin, and Diane Montagna, from the US. Montanya is handing the books to the Cardinals who are coming and going to the Cardinal meeting, Reuters reported.
The report authors say they created resources to help the Cardinals “get to know each other better” and were compiled by “an international and independent team of Catholic journalists and researchers.” It comes before Conclave, a diverse group drawn from 71 countries appointed by Francis in the past decade, before the Conclave, who was not familiar with each other during the meeting and wore a badge of their name.
A Vatican spokesman was asked by CNN if the Cards could report to Conclave along with them.
However, the two church lawyers told CNN that the report was not fair and was an attempt to influence Conclave in the direction of anti-Francis. For example, he describes Cardinal Mario Greci, a Maltese man, tasked with overseeing the major reform process for the Roman Catholic Church, as “controversial,” but praises Cardinal Raymond Burke, a well-known critic of Francis.
The report was edited in collaboration with Sofia Institute Press, a traditionalist publisher based in New Hampshire, and Cardinalis, a magazine based in Versailles, France. The Sophia Institute Press published a fundamentally anti-Francis Crisis Magazine and published a book called Invasion in 2019. This argues that in the 19th century, a group of “modernists and Marxists” hatched plans to “overturn the Catholic Church from within.” Meanwhile, Cardinalis regularly features prominent, conservative cardinal articles.
The College of Cardinals Report website states, “Our approach is factual and we strive to be fair and provide as accurate a photograph as possible of those who may one day fulfill the shoes of fishermen.”
The author also says there is a historical precedent in their initiative, pointing to an era where diplomats and other trusted scribes will compile and distribute deeper, more reliable biographies to cardinal and distribute them to stakeholders.
Pentin told CNN: “It was conceived and created as a service to members of the Sacred College to get to know each other from the next Conclave and beyond. Naturally, we have made the site and accompanying booklet accessible to as many cardinals as possible.”
But Dawn Eden Goldstein, a Washington, D.C.-based Canon lawyer and Catholic author, is skeptical. “Even if they were seeking cardinal in the Francis mold, it’s still prohibited according to church law,” she told CNN.
John Paul II is prohibited in his rules regarding the election of the Pope for the excommunication. “All possible forms of interference, opposition from political authorities, including “an individual or group” that “may affect the election of the Pope.” The idea behind Conclave’s secret is to prevent external influences. In the past, European monarchs have gained veto in the Pope election, and the last election was exercised in 1903.
However, the 2025 Conclave is the subject of many different kinds of attempts that will affect it. While survivors of administrative sexual abuse have set up a database on cardinal records of handling the issue, social media is full of content that is controversial.
A well-funded, conservative Catholic group is one of the influencers. The Sophia Institute Press is a collaboration with the Eternal Word Network (EWTN), the world’s largest religious broadcaster and has given the platform to Francis’ critics.
The Napa Institute, a conservative Catholic group, is in Rome when preparing for the Conclave, as well as the Pope Foundation, a group of Catholic philanthropists. “This room can raise a billion to help the church. As long as we have the right Pope,” an anonymous supporter of the Pope Foundation told The Times of London.
Some members of these groups are also Trump supporters. Tim Bush, a California lawyer and co-founder of Napa, describes the Trump administration as “the most Christian he’s ever seen.” Bush rejected the allegation that he was “anti-Francis,” but he said that ultra-conservative archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano “had great service to us” when he released a 2018 document seeking resignation. Vigano was excommunicated last year due to splitting.
Kurt Martens, a professor of canon law at the American Catholic University, said that church law “attempts to protect the cardinals from all sorts of external influences and interference.” He pointed out “Red Hat Report.” This was seeking more than $1 million to compile candidates in 2018 to prevent the conclave repeats that selected Francis in 2018.
Martens said initiatives such as The Cardinals Report and Red Hat Report “will not only provide objective information, but also provide colored information, thereby affecting the conclave outcomes.” He added:
At the same time, the cardiacs are not easily affected. Bombay’s retired archbishop, Cardinal Oswald Gracias, told CNN he was warning fellow cardinals about “fake news” on social media. He said he received the cardinal book but had not experienced it. “It’s a well-produced volume, but I hope it’s accurate,” he added.
