The Next Pope? Twenty leading possibilities

National Catholic Reporter ^ | 4/2/2005 | John L. Allen

[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.

[mjtobias]

I agree 100%.

[Alberta's Child]

Cardinal Arinze was practically booed off the stage during a speech he made in the U.S. (at Georgetown University, I believe) sometime in the last few months. I believe the speech was about pastoral care for AIDS patients, and in his renarks he focused primarily on the disordered nature of homosexuality.

[sanchez810]

Well, Good then. Still too much socialism left in the catholic church.

[mjtobias]

"I like his looks and beard too."

So do I.

[Jaded]

b

[Salvation]

Conclave: Pope's 'electoral college' has moral values, no exit polls

Rome's Next Choice? [TIME: "Arch-Conservative" Ratzinger is top Papabile]

Lent in the Vatican: The Pope, the Curia, and the Conclave ( Who's On First )

WILL INDIAN PONTIFF SUCCEED POPE?

POPE: 117 CARDINALS ON STANDBY FOR CONCLAVE

Papal Transition (what happens between one pope and the next)

Vatican Bracing for Papal Succession

When Sad Day Comes, Eyes of World Will Be on Papal Selection [How next Pope will be chosen]

Mahony Flies To Rome For Solemnities, Conclave (Cardinal from Los Angeles to Visit Vatican)

Papal Election and Succession

Interview with Cardinal José Saraiva Martins

Cardinals Head to Vatican for Conclave

Pope's Election Shocked Communist Poland ~~ On an icy October night a quarter-century ago.....

The Next Pope? Twenty leading possibilities

[NRA2BFree]

Will he support the spread of democracy?

He was against the War in Iraq, but so was John Paul II.

Perhaps he will be instrumental in persuading Muslim countries to stop terrorism, 'for the good of mankind.' He seems to be highly regarded by Muslims. I'm not a Catholic, I'm a Christian, but he's the one I'm keeping an eye on until someone else pops up.

[MHT]

London oddsmakers are already at it.

TOP 10 FRONTRUNNERS Tettamanzi Arinze Ratzinger Hummes Lustiger Sodano Daneels Sepe Biffi Dias Betting boards picks Cardinal D/T as 3 to 1 favorite

[tang-soo]

George Castanza: "I like the hats."

[Schwaeky]

I wouldn't mind seeing Ratzinger or the Governor General of Vatican City, Cardinal Edmund Skoza (I think is his name) former Archbishop of Detroit (yeah I know he's American by birth but he's not currently directly over American Catholics, and moreover, he's a Polish-American, and quite conservative (not sure how so in relation to JP2, though eastern european prelates tend to be more conservative). Ratzinger is seen as more hardline than John Paul II was, and yes given the long pontificate of John Paul II, might be a good option (plus he's still in good health at this age with no sign of slowing down--(still an avid jogger and a boxer before his time in the seminary), while John Paul II was officially diagnosed with Parkinsons in 1993, when he was 72 years old. With Ratzinger we could likely see at least a ten-twelve year papacy in that case, which could cement the college of cardinals in a more conservative light further down the road. After all, for the church what is important is not so much the past as the future.

As for holding persons accountable, Pope John Paul II did excommunicate DeMello, a French Jesuit priest and theologian who spouted heretical ideas on the mystery of the Eucharist (he later recanted and was accepted back into the Church), and that was in 1998. Its not a shut door in the modern day and age, more a bargaining chip for self-examination of what one believes and whether it is more important to think "you're right" than it is to be in communion with the Holy See. Pope John Paul II has been quite revolutionary in tolerance for questioning and dialogue on various areas of theological study, opening the doors for many questions on what many used to take as 1000% gospel truth. Its just when it directly contravenes church teaching that they are called out.

Behavioral excommunications, while some might want to see (myself included in Kerry's case at times) are not likely anymore simply because the Church assumes, whatever the sin the person may be carrying, when they come up to recieve communion, they are doing so in good faith. so that is not likely, unless we get an arch radical conservative successor to John Paul II (ie the type that would call a modern crusade against Islam, etc...).

[Finalapproach29er]

Angelo Scola, Italy
---
My guess. He's loved, warm,charming,and the right age. Mark my words.

[MHT]

I like his attitude about the abomination of homosexuality. I also like the one from Syria, which would be the modern equivalent of picking an anticommunist from a communist country as he would be a Christian from an Islamic country.

[lainde]

I got the same impression as you after reading this list. A lot of them seem like socialists. God help us! (I pray He will give us the pope we need).

[Finalapproach29er]

Oops,wrong Italian.Here's my pick:

Dionigi Tettamanzi, Italy.

[Finalapproach29er]

I agree with you. He's my pick, too.

[lainde]

It is very appropriate to point out that capitalism without morals and compassion is a horrible, immoral thing

OK...I vote for compassionate capitalism then...Sounds vaguely familiar:~)

[Salamander]

My pick too....LOL!
[but please...*not* a Canadian!]....LOL!

[cookcounty]

"Husar is Uniate. IOW, Eastern Rite.

He would certainly be an interesting choice.

Doesn't the Eastern Rite accept that priests can marry? What about Bishops. For that matter, is Husar married?

[baseballmom]

Interesting, informative discussion.

Thanks for posting.

[cookcounty]

".... Africa is one of the last Frontiers for Conversions."

Plenty of new opportunity in Western Europe. Ninety-five percent of French "Catholics" could care less about the Gospel. And they couldn't explain it if their life depended on it. It's a "Catholic country" only in the sense of old architecture.