Posted on 04/02/2005 8:17:39 PM PST by sinkspur
Who Will Be the Next Pope? These 20 candidates have possibilties By John L. Allen Jr. Rome
Prognostication is a notoriously hazardous business, and the trash heaps of church history are littered with the carcasses of journalists who have tried to predict the next pope. Almost no one, for example, correctly anticipated that the archbishop of Kraków, Karol Wojtyla, would emerge from the second conclave of 1978 as Pope John Paul II.
In that spirit, the intent here is not to "predict" who will become the next pope, which is a futile exercise. Instead, the aim is to identify cardinals whose backgrounds, accomplishments, and personalities guarantee they will at least get a serious look as possible papal material. Doing so will illustrate the criteria cardinals typically employ in trying to size up who among their peers might be able to step into the "Shoes of the Fisherman."
Will the next pope be one of these 20 men? Perhaps. But all are certainly under consideration, and that by itself makes them worth a look.
(Excerpt) Read more at nationalcatholicreporter.org ...
Don't know if the Ukrainian guy is married-but think what he could do for Christmas!
Most of them sound like they would be fine choices, and would represent the truly international nature of the Church.
TOP 10 FRONTRUNNERS Tettamanzi Arinze Ratzinger Hummes Lustiger Sodano Daneels Sepe Biffi Dias Betting boards picks Cardinal D/T as 3 to 1 favorite
Lustiger would bring a New twist to the old joke. Now everyone will say, "Is the Pope Jewish?" It would be a definite conversation- starter!
A) The next Pope will be as, if not more conservative in theology and Catholic doctrine than was John Paul II, and
B) will be relatively young. I am one of (apparently) as small minority who thinks that another long papacy would be a good thing. Stability in the church cannot hurt, can it? A younger, conservative Pope who can bring the American Catholics in line with church teaching (e.g. abortion is murder, no matter how politically expedient it may be to whitewash it) would be wonderful. It's because of the leftist bent of American priests, bishops, arch-bishops and cardinals that I am glad that we'll never see an American Pope in my lifetime. This is in spite of the fact that Bernard Cardinal Law said mass at my parish many times while I was an altar boy.
An African pope would make the European intellectuals' heads spin like tops. Anziner would have the same impact as Condi Rice winning the next Presidential election. They just wouldn't be able to handle it.
HEre's a bio that points this out ..
"He is ferocious on social justice issues. He was part of a small group that met German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder in Cologne to hand over the Jubilee 2000 petition for debt relief. "Neoliberal capitalism carries injustice and inequality in its genetic code," "
Well here's a fact: the kleptocratic socialist dictatorships in Africa cause poverty and injustice. Communism caused injustice and poverty ... the 'Neo-liberal' countries have on the other hand created a huge amount of wealth, albeit unequally, but raised standard of living for all in countries like the USA so that poverty was lessened.
"Neo-liberal" policies are the most *fair* of economic policies, for the poor, compared to the alternatives.
Catholic hierarchy has a tin ear when it comes to listening and thinking about policies that actually grow the pie, as opposed to simply changing the slices. This comes across as a vague socialism, and is in fact socialism when expressed by 'social justice' adherents.
What would be helpful is if they all read Gilder's "Wealth and Poverty" and got a different view of capitalism and its true nature, as an agent for the 'invisible hand' of self-interested altruism.
Capitalism's (or free enterprise system's) true features is not greed & competition, etc. but 2 things: exchange that is mutually beneficial ('love your neighbor'); and giving. Giving to others creatively, through innovation; giving to the future, through savings/investments;
giving to others through services and goods to customers for their voluntary benefit (which they happily pay for).
So a good honest capitalist can indeed invoke and live by the Greatest Commandment ('love your neighbor') and do so in a way that can have more positive impact than one could in other more 'charitable' occupations. As a capitalist/entreprenuer serves others, they earn the 'daily bread' that we ask the father to give to us.
I agree with sanchez810: It would be good if a Catholic hierarchy was aware of this view of capitalism, and not stuck to stereotypes of capitalism.
conservative in theology and Catholic doctrine
relatively young
I agree with you on both of those points. I would add:
charismatic - so that he can attract more people to Catholicism
multilingual - so that he can converse with people worldwide
brilliant - so that he can write prolifically on moral and spiritual issues
Uh oh, it sounds like a John Paul II clone. Actually, if he could have all these attributes and NOT be a clone, that would be terrific. He would be an original.
From this list, Scola, the Venetian. Involved in biological/genetic issues. He is bound to be well informed regarding medical and technological advances.
No Spaniards on this list. I only did a two year stretch in parochial schools, so what do I know.
You are exactly correct.
In all the articles I've read, in all the talk of JPII's successor, not ONCE have I heard a cardinal say "we will pray for the Holy Ghost's guidance to choose a holy man who will uphold the traditions of the Church."
Not once.
Holy smoke Batman.
It's a secret only tell your assistant and or doctor.
Holiday Inn Express.
Cover the windows.
Their ages are omitted. :(
Personally, I like Arinze.
It should be Arinze. Nigeria has one of the fastest growing congregations, yet it is also one of the congregations under the most pressure from Muslims. Africa overall apparently has the fastest growing flock.
Arinze is the man.
Regards, Ivan
Husar is intriguing. I would need more info about him to form an opinion either way.
Maybe there is. There's that Cardinal whose name has been kept secret.
I hope the next pope will be as outspoken on moral issues as the last.
Having fun yet.
That is so true and frustrating. This anti-capitalist stance helps to condemn many thrid-world countries to the false alternatives of Marxism or the old aristocracy where a few wealthy families run corrupt authoritarian governments while the majority live in poverty. Capitalism is needed to break up the old aristocracy and to serve as an alternative to communism. I wonder if the churchmen fear a middle class that would arise in a capitalist system? People in a new middle class might feel empowered and be a little harder to control than serfs.
I rather like Soldano. He's a comforting kind of guy. Reassuring. He also sings well, as did JPII. Mild mannered, but knows everything about the Vatican, and how to run it. Re might also be a possibility. I like Husar's looks too (the Ukrainian, a longshot, but fun to contemplate).
We all seem to like this fuzzy faced fellow.
LOL! your comments are very amusing.
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