Catholics in the Philippines, the largest Christian community in Asia, will be watching the results of the papal conclave closely.
Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle said Pope Benedict XVI's renunciation of the ministry as Bishop of Rome shocked the entire country. "The announcement also brought sadness to us. We felt like children clinging to a father who bids them farewell," he said, praising Benedict's "humility, honesty, courage and sincerity".
80 percent of the population is Roman Catholic, and many of the faithful are praying that the new Pope will be younger than Benedict XVI. Students said they were impressed at the Pope Emeritus' Twitter account, and hoped this effort to engage with younger generations would continue. "How do you make faith interesting? How to you make faith something you want to connect to?" asked Ian Agatep a student at Ateneo De Manila university.
The students interviewed also hoped for a new Pope who would engage more actively with public debate. "We would need a Pope who has charisma," said student Bernadine Lanot, "who can connect with the people of our time."
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle is in the running himself. At 55 he's a relatively young contender and worked with Benedict XVI at the International Theological Commission.
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Father Francis Lucas of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines said a Filipino pope would be like "a dream". "He is humble, he's meek, he's simple, he's spiritual, he's media savvy, he's very bright," said Lucas.
The Twitter hashtag "#Tagleforpope" appeared within hours of Benedict's statement, with one comment among scores posted on Tuesday saying of Tagle: "Archbishop of Manila in 2011, Cardinal in 2012, Pope in 2013?"
