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 ...
I think Cardinal Arinze, from Nigeria, is the man for the job.
This culture is rushing towards destruction and needs a right thinking brave person who will put the brakes on this suicide march we are on and perhaps reverse our course.
He has frequently been on EWTN and he is sooooo right on with his answers to very complex questions. He'd be a great pope. It is true that European elitists would have their hair hurt, but wouldn't that be a little delicious?
The "list" is a left-wing wet dream.
Daneels has as much of a chance to be Pope as I do.
As for Ratzinger, he's the authors worst nightmare-of coiurse they left him off.
Lustiger would scare the hell out of me as Pope. Some interpret St Malachy's propecies to say there will be 2 more Popes, some say this next Pope will be he last.
Hardly the time or the place to expand on the St Malachy prophecies/forgeries, but if Lustiger is named Pope, I expect there will be quite a fuss made about it.
He's like 79, probably too old.
I agree, and I am not even Catholic!
He would likely turn out to be a "feel good" Pope.
Leading Irish bookmaker PaddyPower had a betting line on several candidates. It appears they have removed the bet (or at least removed the link to the bet). Tettamanzi WAS the heavy favorite when betting opened (I think he was at 11-4, or just less than 3-1 odds). Some speculate that those in the Vatican have themselves been wagering.
ping for later
Do you think the next Pope will be a member/supporter of Opus Dei?
Lots like the bearded Ukrainian who is head of the Greek Eastern rite Catholics. I'm not sure where he lives and leads from, but he travels with an American passport and spent years living in America.
I hope so. We need a good heart speaking for life and the poor and peace. But I also hope that the next one recognizes that being a woman or married does not preclude one from serving.
If it hasn't already been suggested somewhere, perhaps folks might say a Novena to the Holy Spirit for the next nine days, to guide the College of Cardinals to do God's Will in selecting the next Supreme Pontiff of the Holy Catholic Church.
Here is one that I found on-line:
http://www.jesuslistens.com/holyspirit.html
If anyone has one that is preferable, let us know.
If you think it's a good idea, those of you with ping lists might wish to ping them.
True, the 3rd world countries present a great growth area for Catholicism and perhaps those countries have numbers to support vocations--but I also see in our country over the past 40 years a sad situation where we don't have nuns and priests enough to serve. Ironic, isn't it, that Mother Theresa's order is one of the few that is growing in the US.
Like you, I have always supported the traditional priesthood, mainly because I couldn't believe that a priest could be devoted to his congregation and also to a family. But we now have consecrated married priests who have converted from Eastern Rite, altar girls, women serving Communion, and I just wonder if perhaps the time has come when a Pope will pray and consider women and married couples to serve.
It is said that he who goes into the conclave as a strong candidate for pope comes out a cardinal.
Any ideas who?
This is not even a remote possibility.
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