分析·教皇弗朗西斯去世，梵蒂冈幕后已悄然展开争夺下一任教皇的权力斗争。
一部分人希望继承他的遗产，继续前行；另一部分人则希望由更保守的教皇接任。
在这场斗争中，不仅有宗教因素，还夹杂着重要的地缘政治利益。
教皇弗朗西斯在家中去世，正如他所愿，目光凝视着窗外的日出。他在复活节当天于罗马圣彼得广场与信徒的会面引发了欢呼和希望。
然而，不到一天后的复活节次日清晨，噩耗传来：教皇去世了。今天，虔诚的天主教徒和普通游客聚集在圣彼得大教堂前，肩并肩地流泪悼念。
拥有强大的敌人
教皇弗朗西斯的权力如此之大，他不仅影响了信徒，还赢得了许多无神论者的喜爱和赞扬，因为他的勇气和仁爱之心。他推动了一个更现代、更包容的天主教会，对同性恋者展现了更温和的态度，并赋予女性在梵蒂冈内更重要的角色。他还为移民和囚犯的权利而战。
这一切让他深受爱戴和推崇，但也为他树敌无数。梵蒂冈内部那些强烈保守的势力，长期以来一直反对弗朗西斯，如今正暗自庆幸。
二月时，我在罗马的Gemelli医院外报道，当时教皇病重。我遇到了许多所谓的“梵蒂冈记者”，他们每天跟踪报道梵蒂冈事务。他们描述了一场权力斗争，其狡猾程度堪比狐狸游戏，让普通的选举活动看起来像是儿戏。
美国政府希望一位保守派教皇
天主教会拥有14亿信徒，是全球最大的宗教团体。它既富有又强大，其政治影响力巨大，这一点在世俗化的瑞典有时被低估。
尤其是美国政府希望看到一位强烈保守的教皇上台。副总统J.D.万斯，一位皈依天主教的信徒，在复活节期间访问罗马并会见了教皇。尽管表面上礼貌客气，但两人从驱逐非法移民到以色列-巴勒斯坦问题等议题上完全对立。
鉴于当前紧张的全球局势，即将举行的教皇选举——秘密会议（conclave）——将具有比现代历史上任何时候都更为重大的政治意义。
英文：
The power struggle within the Vatican has already begun–and when the time comes for the papal election,a fierce battle awaits,says Jennifer Wegerup.
Photo:Michael Kappeler/EPA/TT
“The power struggle for the papal title is already underway”
Analysis·Pope Francis is dead,and behind the scenes in the Vatican,the power struggle over who will take over has already begun.
One faction wants to see his legacy carried forward.Others want a more conservative pope to take the helm.
Amid all this,not only religious but also major geopolitical interests are at play.
Jennifer Wegerup
Correspondent,Italy
Pope Francis died in his home,as he had wished,with his gaze fixed on the sunrise outside his window.His meeting with the faithful at St.Peter’s Square in Rome on Easter Sunday sparked jubilation and hope.
But less than a day later,on the morning of Easter Monday,the tragic news arrived:the pope was dead.Throughout the day,devout Catholics and ordinary tourists have gathered in front of St.Peter’s Basilica,weeping side by side.
He had powerful enemies
So great was Pope Francis’influence that he not only impacted the faithful but was also loved and celebrated by many atheists for his courage and compassion.Those who shared his political views particularly appreciated his efforts toward a more modern and inclusive Catholic Church.He showed a softer stance toward homosexuals and gave women more significant roles within the Vatican.The pope also fought for the rights of migrants and prisoners.
All this made him deeply loved and admired–but it also earned him powerful enemies worldwide.The strongly conservative forces within the Vatican,which had long opposed Francis,are now quietly rejoicing.
In February,I was reporting outside Gemelli Hospital in Rome when the pope was gravely ill,and I met many so-calledvaticanisti,reporters who follow the Vatican daily.They spoke of a power struggle on a level of cunning that makes ordinary election campaigns look like child’s play.
The U.S.government wants a conservative pope
With its1.4billion followers,the Catholic Church is the world’s largest religious denomination.It is as wealthy as it is powerful,and its political influence is immense—something we sometimes underestimate in secularized Sweden.
Not least,the U.S.government wants to see a strongly conservative pope take over.Vice President J.D.Vance,a converted Catholic,was in Rome this Easter and met with the pope.Beyond the polite exchanges,the two were on a complete collision course on everything from the deportation of illegal migrants to the Israel-Palestine issue.
Given the highly tense global situation,the upcoming papal election,the conclave,will carry greater political significance than ever before in modern times.
