Thanks for your answers, FRiends.
Being an outsider, I have to seek guidance on this.
With time to reflect, do you think the conclave would be more inclined toward a younger Pope having a longer tenure or an older Pope having a shorter one? (Recognizing, of course, that God can call any of us home at any time.)
And, the question already asked about the conclave, is there a group(s) within the church known for their spirituality who could give insight into the actual needs of the church?
I sort of find it funny that the MSM is prognosticating Cardinal Turkson...a Ghanan and the President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.
Naturally, the libs believe that this would be a good, "progressive" choice.
However, Cardinal Turkson also basically said that Americans (left-wingers, specifically) have no clue whatsoever about what Social Justice actually means. In a 2011 interview with CNA, he said:
The council has been surprised to find that common terms were misunderstood or misinterpreted. He emphasized that the misunderstanding was not a general or widespread problem among American Catholics. But, he said, "in certain circles ... there is a difficulty."For instance, the Pope's teaching on themes of "social justice" have been mistakenly connected to "socialism" and "communism." As a result, he indicated, the Pope is mistakenly seen as promoting socialist or big-government solutions to social problems.
So, if, in the end, he is elected, methinks that the left will be massively surprised.
Myself, I like Raymond Cardinal Burke. Conventional wisdom says he is WAAAAAAAY too conservative to be viable. However, conventional wisdom also said that Cardinal Ratzinger was WAAAAAAAY too conservative to be viable not that many years ago.
Bottom line, it's up to the Holy Spirit.
The absolutely beautiful Litany of the Saints will be sung as the Cardinals enter the conclave once again.
Frankly, I don't think we can predict anything. The conclave's have shocked before -- who would have thought that a SLAVIC Pope from a communist country would be made Pope? And who would have thought that a 78 year old, tired cardinal would be made Pope? One thing is sure -- God will laugh at all our predictions :P
And, the question already asked about the conclave, is there a group(s) within the church known for their spirituality who could give insight into the actual needs of the church?
Well, the majority of Cardinals are conservative selections by Pope JPII or Benedict. At the end, as I said above, it really is the Holy Spirit which directs the conclave - one can't give any other reason for the past 2 popes. I believe that the next Pope and the Pope after that should continue in the same vein as JP II and BXIV -- knocking out the liberals, bringing the Catholics closer to the Orthodox and the Oriental Churches by emphasising the first among equals nature of the Western Patriarchate and tossing away a lot of the medieval baggage. This will help in rapprochements with other Christian brethren. Also, Pope Benedict was tough -- not tough physically, but spiritually and mentally. I look forward to a Pope who is both -- and my hopes rest on Cardinal Turkson
Honestly, I don’t have any suggestions about what the Conclave might do. It’s said that things were rather in a muddle following the death of Pope John Paul, but Cardinal Ratzinger’s handling of the funeral and the opening of the Conclave led to a quick consensus that he was the right man for the time. (In my opinion, the last several years have confirmed this.)
As for a group that is spiritually influential at this time, I would look for a strong presence from the African and Asian Cardinals: from places where deadly persecution is an ongoing reality. Perhaps from parts of Central and South America, for the same reason.
I don’t recall where I read, just recently, that the Council of Nicea was “a Congress of Martyrs,” but the article or lecture described the mutilations and injuries of the attendees, and said those who were whole in body were noticeably a minority. There is nothing new under the sun, as our man Solomon said, and I believe the voices of the martyrs will be profoundly influential.
I may be a bit naive in these matters but I still believe that our Pontiff is selected by the Holy Spirit. Men enter the conclave with their own plans and schemes but God's will, will be done.
Those who speculate on a more earthly plane would probably tell you that after the very long pontificate of JPII the conclave chose Benedict as a bridge pope to reign a few years while his longer term replacement would make himself apparent.
But an old Roman saying goes something like: Papabilli go into a conclave as the next pope and come out cardinals.