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I've really thought Cardinal Arinze would be elected. I pray for him. He is a great man of God.

I don't expect Cardinal Ratzinger to be elected. That would shock me more than I can say.

But since Sister Lucia of Fatima's death, I have begun to think that the next Pope will be Portuguese or perhaps deeply devoted to Mary, Our Lady of Fatima. Then when Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins (who is Portuguese) came out so strongly in the last few weeks declaring that there would not be an "ecumenical" church at Fatima and then declaring Terri's dehydration and starvation "an act against the Author of Life" and "an Act against God" -- I decided to pay attention and start praying for him and whatever the Lord intends for him.

I don't think Ratzinger will be elected either. His age is a factor. Arinze would be great, but I fear that won't happen either. I just hope that the next pope is as passionate about life issues and restoring Mass as Arinze and Ratzinger are.

Today at wrok we were talking and among a good number of my co-workers, I was one of the few who remembers the last time a pope ws elected. So many had no idea how it was even done. One girl insisted that the period of mourning was 4-6 days. This is going to be very interesting.

Arinze has been playing a pretty serious political game lately. Numerous commentaries have taken note how he uses current events as a springboard to pronounce exhortations toward traditionalism, even though in the past he had been known to say things that would encourage liberation from those same traditional principles. They accuse him, therefore, to be "posturing for papal election."

Ratzinger on the other hand, is a much more frightening prospect. He seems to be the kind of man who would take inside opportunities to advance his personal agenda in this interim time of weakness of the Pope. The media reports that cardinals and bishops have been appointed in the last few days, and that the Pope has accepted the resignation of several. How can we be sure these are specifically the intention of the current Pope? We have to trust those who surround him.

We are trusting those who surround JPII with the full power of the Roman Pontiff. The Papal tradition is deeply rooted in Roman tradition. In ancient Rome, when the emperor died, his ring was removed and crushed so that nobody could use his ring to mark the seal ("bulla") of the deceased emperor on their own documents. That is still the tradition with popes. He dies, his ring is removed and crushed. The new pope will have a new ring that is custom made for him.

It is said that Caligula, after suffocating Tiberius with a pillow, stole the signet ring off his finger and announced that Tiberius had appointed him the next emperor!

The time ahead is indeed likely to be tumultuous. I pray the office of the Pope will be protected against fraudulent activity by those near him who, having been dissatisfied with his policies so far, would now attempt to advance their own agenda.

Examples:
Contraception, ordination of women, euthanasia, abortion, state sponsored "mercy killing," demythologising Scripture, elimination of miracles as a requirement for sainthood, and Modernism in the Church.

Some would argue that this Pope has advanced some of these issues and others, in the Church, instead of protecting the Church against them. This side of the debate seems to be ignored by the media, which has focused on the liberal side of the question.

St. Pio and St. Joseph, pray for the Pope in these, his apparently final hours.