It sounded like a plea from the heart, almost a prayer: "May he be like Francis!" repeated many Catholics interviewed by Le Monde worldwide after mass on Sunday, May 4, regarding the successor to the Argentine pope, who will be chosen in a conclave that starts on Wednesday, May 7, at the Vatican. Pope Francis, who died on April 21, remains an insurmountable figure, if not a guiding compass for a Church without a leader for a few more days.

"May he be like Francis," said Tracy Wilkes on the steps of the Jesuit Church of Saint Ignatius of Loyola in the chic Upper East Side neighborhood of Manhattan, New York. This 60-something hopes for a new pope who would demonstrate "compassion, humility, and extend a hand to the poor."

"A pope who continues Francis' commitment to charity," echoed Anastasia Amoah, in her twenties, in front of the Prince of Peace Church in northwest Accra, the capital of Ghana.

The advantage of this pope, who during his 12-year pontificate spoke and wrote extensively, addressing every theme, sometimes contradicting himself, was that each person could find in him what suits them.

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