Former La Crosse Bishop Burke among the cardinals beginning the conclave to declare a new pope

The conclave to elect a new leader of the Catholic Church begins at Vatican City, lasting until two-thirds of the participating cardinals agree on a successor to the late Pope Francis.

The group of 133 voting cardinals includes Raymond Burke, the former bishop of the La Crosse Diocese, who issued a message to church members before the start of the conclave.

“We know that we’re living in very difficult times in the world, and this means also the church faces unusual challenges in our time,” Burke said. “We need to be an army of prayers, of those who are praying for the church, especially invoking the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe.”

Cardinal Burke’s video was posted online by the Shrine of Guadalupe, which he founded a few miles outside La Crosse two decades ago.

After serving as La Crosse’s bishop, Burke later became the Archbishop of St. Louis before being named a Cardinal in 2014. He served until 2023.

Burke has asked for the prayers of all church members, to help guide the conclave.

“Your prayers are a tremendous source of consolation and strength for me as a cardinal elector, in carrying out such an awesome responsibility, particularly in our time,” he said.

During the last day of pre-conclave meetings, Francis’s fisherman’s ring and his official seal were destroyed in one of the final formal rites of the transition of his rule as pope to the next.