Who will follow in the holy footsteps of Pope Francis?: Batley Carr cardinal Arthur Roche admits ‘surprise’ if he would be chosen as next Pope

Pope Francis, 88, sadly passed away on Easter Monday, with his funeral - which is expected to attract thousands of dignitaries and worshippers from across the world - set to take place on Saturday morning in Rome.

Many cardinals - a high ranking member of the Roman Catholic Church nominated by the Pope himself - are arriving in Vatican City from all quarters of the globe.

Some, like Cardinal Arthur Roche, who was born in Batley Carr, already live in the holy city.

A former Bishop of Leeds, he was elevated to Cardinal-Deacon by Pope Francis at a ceremony in August 2022.

And, at 75, Cardinal Roche is one of the 135 eligible cardinals who will be helping to name the church’s new leader at a secret conclave at some point after the funeral.

But he admitted there was “shock” when it was announced at 7.35am on Monday that the pontiff, who delivered a public address on Easter Sunday, had died.

Giving a unique insight into the current feelings within the Vatican, Cardinal Roche, who was one of Pope Francis’ key advisors, said:

“People are sad because the Pope is dead but also they are very shocked. On Sunday we all saw him give the blessing Urbi et Orbi, and after that he was transferred to the popemobile and he went around the crowd.

“There were about 100,000 people in the square and he met people along the long road right to the River Tiber in the best way that he could.

“So it was a shock on Monday morning to realise that he had actually died.”

On his relationship with Pope Francis, the cardinal added:

“I was one of his closest collaborators and in the work I was given to do, in what we call a dicastery, I look after a very specific area on behalf of the Pope for all the bishops throughout the world, so it is a very big responsibility to have.

“He puts a lot of trust in you to undertake that work on his behalf. On top of that, the Holy Father was a humble man and someone who was always very friendly and very brotherly. You grew very fond of him.

“It was a good working relationship. Not somebody who was just your boss, but somebody who was working alongside and with you. That is one of the great characteristics of his ministry as the universal pastor of the church.

“I was surprised to be made a cardinal but I was also very humbled by that. It showed the regard that he had for me.”

Shortly after being ordained as a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2022, he made a special return trip to the parish where it all began, at St Joseph’s Catholic Church, on Naylor Street in Batley Carr, to say his first mass in the UK since being given his important title.

Born in the little area, which borders Batley and Dewsbury, on March 6, 1950, Cardinal Roche attended St Joseph’s Primary School and St John Fisher High School.

His calling was always to be a priest.

And he had a special connection with St Joseph’s Church. It was the setting for his baptism and confirmation, the location of his first Holy Communion and confession, and, quite aptly, where he was ordained as a priest.

He may now be a part of one of the Catholic Church’s biggest decisions, but he certainly has not forgotten his West Yorkshire roots.

“It is always important never to forget,” he said. “In the prophet Isaiah there’s a little sentence that says ‘never forget the rock from which you have been hewn.’ And I think that is very, very important.

“I owe Batley Carr, and the people of Batley Carr, an immense debt because I grew up amongst them and, in many ways, they influenced me through their care, both as a child and as an adolescent and a young man.

“Their example, their encouragement, their good humour, their deep faith in Christ, and their deep commitment to the church.”

He added: “There’s a very steep hill in Batley Carr from the bottom of Bradford Road to the top of Halifax Road, and to see the people on a Sunday morning climbing that hill in great numbers to go to mass always impressed me immensely.

“But also living amongst the community, full of good humour and full of really good, hardworking people bringing up their families, sometimes with difficulty, but nonetheless bringing them up as best they could and who were just really first class people to know.

“I will probably be back in the summer.”

Asked if he was aware of how momentous it was for somebody from Batley Carr to be in the position he is now in, a humble Cardinal Roche responded:

“I do. It surprised me that Pope Francis created me a cardinal and I am very aware of the responsibility that comes with that but I am also very aware that somebody from my background should have been raised to this position.”

And Cardinal Roche, just one of five from the UK and Ireland, admitted that choosing the new pontiff was a “massive responsibility”.

He said: “We are meeting each morning to consider the things normally the Pope himself would consider on a daily basis and to govern the church in that way.

“At the same time, we are getting to know each other, we’re talking about what we think are the needs of the next pontificate and what sort of person the next Pope should be. That’s how the process is going on.

“That will go on until the Conclave will take place. And at that point we are cut off from all communication. And we will be in Conclave until such a time as the Pope is elected.

“It is a massive responsibility.”

You never know, Cardinal Arthur Roche could even be chosen as the next Pope himself.

“I’d be very surprised,” he chuckled. “It is a massive responsibility to be Pope. When I think of the job that I’m doing, which is very onerous on behalf of the Pope, and when you think of all the things that he has to do, it is not something, I think, that anybody would really want to seek.

“It is a grace and the whole thing is conducted in prayer, and in silence, so the right person emerges.”