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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.)

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

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.

...please explain your comment regarding ‘medieval baggage’...and how it would relate to a ‘conservative’ Pope...

...and rapprochments with other brethren...gee, wasn’t that what VatII was all about? Are you saying we need to Protestantize the Church more than it already has been in the last forty years?