Fr. Tito Caluag, executive director of Caritas Philippines, requested Filipinos to pray for the success of the upcoming conclave, which will decide on the successor of Pope Francis.

In a radio interview, Caluag said that now that Pope Francis is gone, he hopes that whoever becomes the next Catholic Church leader will continue what his predecessor has started.

"Ang dami pa kasing hindi natatapos sa simbahan na sinimulan ni Pope Francis (There are still many unfinished things in the Church that Pope Francis started)," Caluag said.

"So sana pagpatuloy nung kung sino man ang kanyang magiging successor ang kanyang sinimulan (So hopefully whoever his successor will continue what he started)," he added.

Caluag recalled that one of the visions of Pope Francis was to continue the legacy of Pope John XXIII, the Vatican II or the Second Vatican Council — which aimed to update the Church's teachings and practices for the modern world.

He added that Pope Francis had initially considered taking the name Pope John XXIV, in honor of Pope John XXIII, but ultimately chose to be named after Saint Francis of Assisi, a saint known for his deep compassion for the poor.

"[Si Saint Francis of Assisi] ang siyang masasabi nating santo ng mga dukha. So yun ang napakalaking challenge sa susunod sa Santo Papa at buong simbahan (Saint Francis of Assisi is what we can say is the saint of the poor. So that is the greatest challenge for the next Pope and the entire Church)," Caluag noted.

The prelate also emphasized Pope Francis’ desire to make the Catholic Church more inclusive, especially through initiatives like the Synod on Synodality, which introduced significant reforms to the Church's structure.

This included, for the first time, the participation and voting rights of women in the Synod General Assembly, beginning with the appointment of Sr. Nathalie Becquart as undersecretary of the Secretariat of the Synod.

"Yan ang pangalawang puntong mahalaga na ipagdasal natin na ipagpatuloy ng susunod na Santo Papa (That is the second important point that we should pray that the next Pope will continue)," he added.

Pope Francis, 88, died of a stroke and heart failure on Easter Monday, 21 April, at his residence at Casa Santa Marta at the Vatican.

In accordance with Pope Francis' wishes, he is expected to be buried at the ancient Basilica of St. Mary Major, which lies outside the Vatican's walls.

The conclave, the closed-door gathering of cardinals that picks the next Pope, can be expected to be held between 15 to 20 days after Pope Francis' death.

"Ipagdasal natin ang darating na conclave sana ay maging pagpapatuloy ng galaw at trabaho ng Diyos at espiritu ng Diyos ang gagalaw sa susunod na conclave (Let us pray for the upcoming conclave, may it be a continuation of God's movement and work, and may the spirit of God move in the next conclave)," Caluag added.