The French president's slew of meetings with top cardinals and high-level officials of the Catholic Church on the sidelines of Pope Francis' funeral at the Vatican last Saturday has caused a stir in Italy, with speculation rife that he might be attempting to influence the selection of the next pontiff, Borgia-style.
In what the Italian press dubbed "interventionism of the modern Sun King," Emmanuel Macron held a meeting at the French embassy in Rome with four compatriots who will be present at the conclave: Archbishop of Marseille Jean-Marc Aveline, Bishop of Ajaccio François Bustillo, Apostolic Nuncio to the US Christophe Pierre and Archbishop Emeritus of Lyon Philippe Barbarin.
All four are full-fledged cardinals, while two of them — Aveline and Bustillo — are considered to be among the contenders to become the next pontiff.
Prior to the embassy get-together, Macron supposedly shared a meal at a notable Roman restaurant with Andrea Riccardi, founder of the Community of Sant'Egidio, a highly influential Church organisation known for its charity work and peace missions abroad.
This was enough for the domestic press to come to believe that the French leader was organising a pre-conclave of his own, intent on pushing for his own favourite — and, if possible, a French one.
However, Riccardi — who is believed to have the ear of many a cardinal as one of the most well-connected people within the Church and also has a soft spot for France, where he studied — dismissed the rumours on Thursday, telling Italian newspaper Il Foglio that the Macron-Sant'Egidio conspiracy was "idiocy".
Riccardi and Macron had "fettuccine, not escargot," he said — indicating that the story of the two breaking bread while fomenting a cabal was, by and large, overblown.
Furthermore, Cardinals Aveline and Bustillo's chances of being elected as the next pontiff are slim, according to experts. Aveline's Italian — the working language of the Holy See — is seemingly lacking, while Bustillo, who speaks fluent Italian due to his Corsican roots, might be too young at the age of 56, due to the belief that the Church would be wary of a protracted pontificate.
France has not had a pope since the 14th century. The last pontiff from the country was Pope Gregory XI, who died in 1378.
Meanwhile, Pope Francis' death and the upcoming conclave, set for next Wednesday, have attracted interest from many world leaders, including US President Donald Trump.
On Tuesday, Trump threw his hat in the ring by saying he "would like to be pope," further jesting that he would be his own "number one choice" for the next pontiff.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham backed Trump's pitch on X, saying Trump would "truly be a dark horse candidate," and asking the conclave and the faithful "to keep an open mind" about the possibility.
“The first pope-US president combination has many upsides. Watching for white smoke... Trump MMXXVIII,” Graham concluded.
