Cardinal with ties to London will be present in Rome

Cardinal Thomas Collins, the Archbishop of Toronto, stands in the pulpit as he delivers a sermon to worshippers during a Good Friday service at St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica, in Toronto, Friday, April 15, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young (Chris Young/The Canadian Press)

Cardinals from around the world are converging on Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis and upcoming meetings that will determine the next leader of the Catholic Church.

One cardinal with ties to the Forest City will be present in Rome in the coming weeks. Cardinal Thomas Collins holds a master of arts in English from the University of Western Ontario, and a bachelor of arts in theology from St. Peter’s Seminary in London, Ont.

Collins was appointed cardinal in 2012, and retired from the priesthood in 2023. Throughout his tenure he served as Bishop of Saint Paul, Alta., on June 30, 1997; Archbishop of Edmonton on June 7, 1999 and Archbishop of Toronto on Jan. 30, 2007. He was part of the March 2013 conclave that elected Pope Francis.

Other Canadian cardinals in attendance include Montreal’s Cardinals Michael Czerny and Francis Leo, Cardinal Gérald Cyprien Lacroix from Saint-Hilaire-de-Dorset, Que., and Cardinal Marc Ouellet from La Motte, Que.

A three-day public viewing is underway at St. Peter’s Basilica ahead of a funeral Saturday.

The mourning period is expected to be followed by several days of pre-conclave gatherings where many of the cardinals will meet for the first time. The conclave itself, during which the new pope is elected, is not expected to begin before May 5.

Pope Francis died of a stroke and heart failure at age 88 after 12 years as the head of the Catholic Church.

Canada has three cardinals and two retired cardinals, although not all can vote as cardinals over the age of 80 are ineligible.