Spaniard Antonio Rouco Varela, Born August 24, 1936 is 68 years old.
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 ...
When I first heard the statement a couple of months ago I was caught between laughing and concern.
Now it's only concern. I feel like we are in transition from one phase to another. I am uneasy.
I'm Catholic so I guess it is mine.That being said,"you wonder?"
I Worry!
"He has rejected the identification of Islam with terrorism..."
That stupidity alone disqualifies him.
I should have typed "The Work of the Holy Angels" for Opus Sanctorum Angelorum.
...is a devotee of Swiss Catholic theologican Hans Urs von Balthasar, a darling of the Catholic right.
This must be a joke.
Well, we all need the good angels to surround us these days. This would be my prayer for the Cardinals as they select too.
Spaniard Antonio Rouco Varela, Born August 24, 1936 is 68 years old.
LOL! That's the story of my life, I suppose...
But one of these days, one of these long shots is bound to come in!!!
I wonder if the new Pope will call himself John Paul III, in honor of his predecessor. (As did John Paul II.)
I don't get any vibes from the Holy Spirit about any of these twenty.
But then, I'm not voting.
True. And, it is worth noting that this is the first conclave that will include reporting from-and-to the www, email, blogs, other instant internet communications.
Do you think the conclave decision might be delayed, even filibustered, until such time as email and other internet communications could actually have an effect on the deliberations and ultimate decision? (after the Sistine Chapel doors are unlocked, etc.)
Better not be anybody sneaking their laptops into St. Martha's Residence.
I don't believe it will be an Italian. I remember how disappointed many people were after John Paul I was elected, people said, Oh not another Italian, what a bummer.
Ha! Or a Blackberry strapped to an ankle.
One thing I am sure of is that some of the "conventional wisdom" about selecting a Pope has gone right out of the window on account of the achievements and personality of JPII. For example, the canard that a long pontificate must be followed by a short one (or by an elderly man who will soon die). The example of JPII is that the next Pope MUST be vigorous, must travel, must communicate in many languages, must embrace cultures, etc. Similarly, the canard that the cardinals are tired of a non-Italian. I lived in Rome for 6 yrs in the 80's, and if there was a bit of hesitation about a Polish man as Bishop of Rome, that was dispelled very soon, and the grief we see in St. Peter's Square is genuine. The Italians really did love this man. So there is every expectation that the Romans--and Italians, can feel the same for another non-Italian. So my point is that there is no unofficial rule that the next Pope MUST be Italian.
Whatever name he picks, it will tell us who he intends to follow.
Make yourself familiar with the angels, and behold them frequently in spirit; for without being seen, they are present with you.
With all his power your guardian angel also urges you to choose heaven and in God's name offers you a thousand graces and a thousand helps to assist you to obtain it.
Have a particular love and reverence both for the guardian angel of the diocene where you live and those of the persons with whom you live, and especially for your own guardian angel.
-St. Francis de Sales
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