WHO WILL BE THE NEXT POPE?

Slate.com ^ | October 15, 2003 | Steven Waldman

[MHT]

Editor's note: This article originally ran in 2003, when Pope John Paul II was experiencing a serious enough illness to make people begin to speculate about who might be his successor. This article has been slightly modified and updated.

So, who will the next pope be—a black, a Hispanic, an American, or a Jew?

PAPAL CHASE

Will the Next Pope be Black, Hispanic, American, a Jew?

No, it's not a joke. All four are real possibilities.

The biggest differences between the papal selection process now and the last time are demographic ones. Of the five countries with the biggest Catholic populations, only one (Italy) is European. Forty-six percent of the world's Catholics are in Latin America; there are more Catholics in the Philippines than in Italy. In 1955 there were 16 million Catholics in all of Africa; today there are 120 million.

Article continues http://slate.msn.com/id/2089815/

[MHT]

More has been written about the "olive" connection...

The interesting thing is this. I have heard from rumor that one French Bishop or Cardinal that is likely to be considered as next pope is from Jewish descent. If that is the case, and if he is elected, he would fit into Gloria Olivae perfectly. Look at Paul's Letter to the Romans, Chapter 11:17-24. Paul describes God's possessors of the Covenant, Abraham's descendants, as a cultivated olive tree. Gentile Christians are the wild olive branch from a wild olive tree, that has been grafted onto the original cultivated olive tree. Neither one, either Jew or Gentile, is considered better than the other, since Paul says neither group supports the roots. Regardless, if the Holy Father passes away and this French Cardinal or Bishop begins his reign, then I believe we must look twice at St. Malachy's prophecies. Link that shows all 112 popes' prophecy http://www.catholic-pages.com/grabbag/malachy.asp

http://ad2004.com/prophecytruths/Articles/Prophecy/Malachy.html

[UnbelievingScumOnTheOtherSide]

My pick for "Glory of the Olives"
Don't know anything else about him.
But he's the only Arab Cardinal.
Could have a similar effect on a trip to Cairo or Damascus as JPII had on Poland.

Cardinal Daoud

Name: H.E. Ignace Moussa I Card. DAOUD
Position: Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches
Age: 74 (Born Thursday, September 18, 1930)
From:Syria
Cardinal since: Wednesday, February 21, 2001

Cardinal Ignace Moussa I Daoud, Patriarch emeritus of Antioch for Syrians, Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches and Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical Oriental Institute was born on 18 September 1930 in Meskaneh, Syria. He was ordained on 17 October 1954 and holds a licentiate in canon law from the Pontifical Lateran University, Rome.

On 2 July 1977 he was elected by the Syrian Patriarchal Synod as Bishop of Cairo, Egypt, and ordained on 18 September. He was a member of the Commission for the Revision of the Eastern Code of Canon Law and chaired the commission that translated the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches into Arabic.

On 1 July 1994 he was promoted to Archbishop of Homs for Syrians, Syria.

On 13 October 1998 he was elected Patriarch of Antioch for Syrians and enthroned on 25 October. On 20 October 1998 he obtained the ecclesiatica communio.

On 25 November 2000 he was appointed Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches.

Patriarch emeritus of Antioch for Syrians, resigned 8 January 2001.

Created and proclaimed Cardinal by John Paul II in the consistory of 21 February 2001.

Curial membership:
»Doctrine of the Faith, Causes of Saints (congregation)
»Christian Unity, Legislative Texts (council)
»Special Council for Lebanon of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops


Translated from French from another site:

Cardinal Ignace Foamed II Daoud, the highly skilled patriarch of Antioche for Syrians, the prefect of the Congregation for the Eastern Churches and he is the large Chancellor of the Eastern Pontifical Institute.

He was born on September 18, 1930 in Maskané, village close to Homs in Syria. He has two brothers and three sisters, all grooms. His mother Kahla Elias Dabbas is still living, while his/her father Daoud Moussa Daoud is deceased a few years ago.

He made his primary studies at the parochial school directed by the P. Hanna Makdissi.

In December of the year 1941, he entered to the Seminar St Ephrem-St Benoit to Jerusalem held by the Fathers French Benedictines, where he followed the complementary and secondary studies.

In the year 1948, following the war in Palestine between Jews and Arabs, the seminar was transferred to the Convent from Charfeh, Lebanon. He is there that he finished the last year of his secondary studies. Then he made his studies of philosophy and theology, with the same aforesaid seminar, of the year 1949 until the year 1955.

He was ordained priest on October 17, 1954, by the laying on of hands of fire Cardinal-Patriarch Ignace Gabriel I Tappouni, in theSaint-Georges Cathedral of Syriaques Catholiques, in Beirut, with seven of his fellow-members. Among the eights ordered, five became bishops.

Returned with his diocese of origin in 1955, he performed in Homs the following duties:
- Professor de Catéchisme at the school St Joseph
- Vicar of the Priest of Homs
- Then principal St Joseph and Curé of Homs
- Secretary of the Archbishop's palace and then general episcopal Vicar.

In 1962 he was sent in Rome to study the Canon law at the University of Lateran. he obtained the Licence in 1964.

In 1970 S.B. the Patriarch Mar Ignace Antoine II Hayek appointed him secretary with the Patriarchate. He remained in this load seven consecutive years.

With the Patriarchal Synod of 1977 he was elected Evêque of the diocese of Cairo. his sacring took place in church N.D. of the Delivery with Charfeh, Lebanon. His establishment was made in Cairo in the church Ste. Catherine, October 7, 1977.

It served the diocese of Cairo during seventeen years, and carried out following works:
- Construction of the church Cathedral dedicated to N.D. Rosary, in Cairo.
- Construction of a Parochial center with Héliopolis.
- Construction of a new wing of the school St Michel, in Cairo.
- Construction of the polyclinic "Sittina Mariam".
- He gave spiritual conferences and retirements. He taught the Canon law with Seminar "Al Maadi" of Coptes Catholiques, and at the institute of Philosophy and Theology of Sakakini (Cairo)
To the Patriarchal Synod of 1994, he was transferred from the diocese of Cairo to the diocese of Homs, Syria. Establishment was made in church N.D. of the Delivery with Zeidal - Homs, September 18, 1994.
He was named Consultateur in the Commission of revision of the Canon law and this during fifteen years, with the continuation of which he became member of the same commission on five years.
He chaired the Commission of the translation of Arabic Latin of the Canon law of the Eastern Churches, in Cairo.

A few years ago, he was named member of the congregation for the Doctrines of the Faith, in Rome.
In 1995 he was named member of the permanent Synod and member of the Higher Court of the legal businesses, in the Church Syriaque Catholique.

In 1997 he was named by the assembly of the Patriarchs and the Catholic Bishops in Syria, president of the common Commission of Benevolence (Syria).

With the Patriarchal Synod of 1998, he was elected Patriarche of the Church Syriaque Catholique, October 13. His establishment will take place 25 Octobre 1998 in Cathedral N.D. of the Annunciation, Beirut, Place of the Museum.

November 25, 2000, he was appointed Préfet of the Congregation for the Eastern Churches.

The highly skilled patriarch of Antioche for Syriaques, given on January 8, 2001. He was proclaimed Cardinal in the consistory by Jean Paul II on February 21, 2001.

Member of the council curial:
- Doctrines of the Faith, causes of the Saints (the congregation)
- the Christian Unit, legislative texts (the council)
- Special Council for Lebanon of the Secretariat-general of the Synod of the Bishops.

[SedVictaCatoni]

Unfortunately, you have not posted any support or historical references to indicate that Gelasius, Miltades, or Victor were what we would consider black Africans. You cite the Catholic Encylopedia, but that reference doesn't lend the assertion any support at all. The painting of St. Miltiades you posted is, of course, a modern depiction. Note this article from a website of the Archdiocese of Chicago discussing the "black popes" claim and explaining why it is doubtful.

The idea of the "three black popes" appears to come from modern ignorance that North Africa was in antiquity a part of the Mediterranean world settled originally by the Phoenicians. It's akin to the "Cleopatra was from Africa, therefore she was black" myth. Some web references, bizarrely, even claim that Terence and St. Augustine were black. One might as well say that Abraham Lincoln was obviously a Mexican, because he came from North America.

Therefore, The Iguana is correct: we don't know for certain, but the overwhelming likelihood is that all three were Romans, Berbers, or Punic.

"Africa" was not a continent during the Roman Empire. It was the name of the roman province from the western frontier of Egypt to present day Morocco. Blacks would have come from Nubia via the Nile.

Most precisely, the province of "Africa" was modern-day Tunisia (and essentially what was once the territory of Carthage). Persons referred to in antiquity as "Africans" came from this province. To the east of Africa was Cyrenaica (modern Libya), and to the west was Numidia (modern Algeria) and Tingitana (modern Morocco). You're absolutely right, though, that Romans didn't consider Africa to be our modern continent of the same name.

[MHT]

I just found out about that list and learned so much about it tonight. The reference to olives is fascinating; and, be it symbolic or overt, it changes the context in which to look at the most competitive candidates.

[onyx]

Me too.
Cardinal Arinze.

[MHT]

Wow--picking a Catholic from an Islamic country would be the modern equivalent of JPII's selection as a democracy-lover from a communist country. It would also give the church a clear direction in confrontation between the Judeo-Christian tradition versus post-terrorist Islam.

And the reference to olives cannot be denied.

[MHT]

I just checked and there are already odds in London on the most likely successors. TOP 10 FRONTRUNNERS

Tettamanzi
Arinze
Ratzinger
Hummes
Lustiger
Sodano
Daneels
Sepe
Biffi
Dias

Betting boards picks Cardinal D/T as 3 to 1 favorite

[BobS]

WHO WILL BE THE NEXT POPE?

ME.

In good form, I will guarantee you that cages will get their fair share of rattles. Slacker Priests will get the boot. New hires will know what Christ's message is all about. And the trash will be taken care of along with the homosexuals and other idiots at our schools. Vote for me to clean it up!!

[MHT]

If you were betting, you'd be in stride with the London markets as there are already odds out and your man is the #1 pick.

Tettamanzi is an Opus Dei person, which is great fodder for the DaVinci Code crowd. Also, other than being another old Italian, I'm concerned about his potential for criticizing capitalism, the lifeblood of modern democracy. And without democracy, would any church be able to thrive?

[Gal.5:1]

my guess: Ratzinger

[UnbelievingScumOnTheOtherSide]

ME.

No - Me!

I promise to call a CRUSADE to rescue the next Terri Schiavo!

Wait, I'm not Catholic. Oh, hell, for the papacy I could convert!

[Lily4Jesus]

Amen!!!!!!!!!!

[TimeLord]

Q: Who will be the next pope?"
A: I don't know, but they tend to go for these religious types."

[spetznaz]

One way or the other it makes no difference to me whatsoever. I'm not even Catholic for that matter. And whoever is elected Pope will be alright with me (I'm sure all the prospects are worthy otherwise they wouldn't be prospects in the first place).

As for past Popes including blacks. Well, I based my stuff on the Catholic Encyclopedia. If it is wrong it is wrong, if it is not it is not. It does show (and it was not my only reference) that at least one of the three African popes (Pope/Saint Gelisius) was a black Roman citizen. The other two were probably Italian Romans born and bred in Africa (which was then one of the bastions of the Roman empire), but Gelisius is depicted as a black Roman citizen raised in Rome. Again, either way it makes zilch difference to me whether he was asian, black, aborigine, or white ....as long as he was a man of God and left a mark that was more positive than negative when he left.

Same thing pertains to the next Pope. Whether it is one of the Italians, the Indian, the Nigerian, the Brazilian, or one of the others (the longshots) it really doesn't matter one way or the other. What is important is that he will be someone who was deemed by his peers as worthy for the post (or if someone adheres to Catholic Canon chosen by God ...if someone adheres to Catholic canon).

[Netizen]

Are you thinking along the lines of a one-world religion?

Not really, no. I was thinking more along the lines of you can't appease an enemy determined to destroy you.

[Netizen]

The Catholic Church is supposed to be destroyed (by Muslims perhaps).

This is more like what I was thinking.

[Netizen]

Neither one, either Jew or Gentile, is considered better than the other, since Paul says neither group supports the roots.

Aren't the Jews the roots?

[Netizen]

You must have read my mind. I was wondering if there were any Arab Cardinals.

[SavedAndForgiven]

As a christian always very interested in endtime prophecy.. I think this Guy would fit it perfectly.... But then again my thoughts are very far from Gods plans lol.. I used to think hey maybe arafat is the anti christ .. OOOps..

Jean-Marie Lustiger
Country: France (Archbishop of Paris)
Age: 79
Assets: Jewish? Shore up Old Europe Christendom.
Liabilities: Jewish! Too old.

Lustiger's mother, a Jew, was killed at Auschwitz. If the cardinals wanted to generate excitement in Europe, choosing Lustiger sure would be a dramatic way to do it.

Do Jews consider him Jewish? Technically, yes. As Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, author of Jewish Literacy, said, "According to Jewish law, a person born to a Jewish mother is Jewish, and being Jewish is not something a person can renounce. However … the Jewish community does not normally relate to such a person as a Jew."

Lustiger is, Telushkin says, popular with Parisian Jews, but other pundits feel that many Jews would be outraged if he were chosen. "Electing him would be a disaster for Catholic-Jewish relations," says Reese. "Some Jews would see this as the church putting him up as an example of what Jews should do."

What probably really rules him out now is his age. Since the mandatory retirement age for cardinals is 75, it might be a bit awkward moral-authority-wise for the pope to bust the cap. So, we probably will never get to find out whether Jewish mothers around the world would have told their children that some day they could grow up to be a doctor, a lawyer, or a pope.