One of the cardinals who was considered a strong contender to be elected as the new pope to replace Pope Francis has spoken about his relief that he was not chosen.
He has also described how the related pressures and responsibilities behind his relief are having an impact at other levels of the Catholic hierarchy, deterring priests from becoming bishops even after they have been selected by the Vatican as being worthy of the task.
Cardinal Mario Grech, from Malta, has said that anyone who actually wants or seeks the role of pope is either “a martyr" or "crazy”.
