Pope Prediction: 10 Reasons Cardinal Burke Will Be the Next Pope

Canterbury Tales ^ | March 4, 2013 | DR. TAYLOR MARSHALL

[NYer]

His Eminence Raymond Cardinal Burke

Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura

I'm making a very bold and controversial claim: His Eminence Raymond Cardinal Burke will be the next Pope. I'm going to provide you with 10 solid reasons why the cardinals will rally to him in the conclave for the required 2/3 vote majority. 

Let's be honest. Most people are claiming (or grumbling) that Cardinal Burke will never be elected as Pope. They say he's too heavy-handed, too ceremonial, too traditional, too political, and too serious to be papabile. If you're one of those people who think Burke is the best cardinal for the job, but look at your toes and sigh: "It'll never happen," then keep reading.

The problem is that the Burke naysayers are thinking like journalists and voters. (By the way, one of my favorite daily blogs: Rorate Coeli explains why the journalists get it wrong.) 

When the doors of the conclave close, men who would usually vote one way, vote another. Under the staring eyes painted onto the ceiling of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel, these cardinals know that history is being made. The Pope they elect will have a difficult vocation. The Pope they elect will change the lives of billions of people both now...and in the future.

I want to challenge you to think like a cardinal in 2013. The cardinals are worried. Most cardinals knew that Pope Benedict had considered abdication, but most of them never thought it could actually happen. Here we are 50 years after the Council, right in the middle of the Year of Faith, and then suddenly the Pope resigns. 

Globally, the Catholic Church faces accusations. Here and there in local dioceses, there are spots of financial and sexual scandal (for example, in Los Angeles). The rumors in Rome surrounding Vatileaks, the Butler, and the Bank are still circulating. Cardinal O'Brien of Scotland just stepped down. The question of secular politicians and the Church is a concern. There is growing debate about liturgy and the Extraordinary Form. The SSPX dialogue fell flat. So in the middle of this storm, Pope Benedict abdicates. I think this is all part of the divine plan (Here's my post explain why I think the Blessed Virgin Mary asked Pope Benedict stepped down), but let's be honest. It's a traumatic time. Yet, whenever there is trauma, conservatism reigns.

The Cardinals will rally to a holy man who will prayerfully clean house and face down the evils, scandals, and rumors. There is only one cardinal who has vocalized a plan of attack for the political, liturgical, and canonical problems in the Church: his name is Raymond Cardinal Burke. 

Cardinal Burke is the only one who has explicitly proclaimed a way forward in these times of trouble. As in the last papal conclave, the cardinals will turn to a man who operates on sound principles. A man whose virtue is known by all. A man of the Gospel.

With that being said, here are the 10 reasons why Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke will be elected Pope.

  1. Burke is an open advocate for using canon law in defense of the sacraments and God's honor. He's a hardliner against pro-abortion Catholic politicians. He has openly spoken out against American and Irish Catholic politicians who advocate abortion, homosexual unions, etc. As Pope, he would back cardinals who have difficult decisions to make back home.

  2. Burke thinks seriously. He is theologically orthodox and can spot dissent. If you thought Ratzinger was a Rottweiler, then just look out! Burke once forced the cancellation of a Sheryl Crowe concert at a Catholic hospital...because she's pro-abortion. He sacked a St Louis Catholic basketball coach for supporting abortion and embryonic destruction. Cardinal Burke isn't afraid to play ball.

  3. His Eminence celebrates and promotes the Latin Mass and a reverent Novus Ordo. This is huge. Cardinal Schonborn's balloon Mass is not the way of the future of Catholicism. All the cardinals feel this. Pope Benedict moved us away from all that. Cardinal Burke will continue to carry Benedict's liturgical torch. Cardinal Burke brings noble dignity to the Holy Sacrifice of Mass. 

  4. ...which leads to the SSPX. As long as Benedict XVI is alive, it will be necessary for the next Pope to bring resolution to this traditionalist soap-opera. The reconciliation of the SSPX would be the greatest possible gift to Benedict's living legacy. To use baseball terminology, it would equate to a relief pitcher saving the game and earning a "win" for the starting pitcher who got behind in the run count.

  5. Speaking of the Latin Mass, Cardinal Burke has traditional liturgical flare (for example, he wears the cappa magna without blinking an eye). With rumors and scandals floating everywhere, Catholics are desperate to see visual dignity restored to the Holy See. 

For fun, here's Blessed John Paul II in his cappa magna:

And, yes historians, Cardinal Burke even wears the old Cardinals' galero:

If he's elected, will he wear the papal tiara?

  6. Burke will help the cardinals and bishops do what they know they need to do: discipline dissenting Catholic politicians. Burke called the US Democratic party "the party of death" and accused Barack Obama of being "anti-life and anti-family." He's not afraid. The cardinals need a Pope standing behind them who speaks like this.

  7. Cardinal Burke speaks the minimum languages necessary for a Supreme Pontiff: English, French, Latin and Italian.

  8. Cardinal Burke is the perfect age: 64. Almost everyone is convinced that the cardinals will elect a cardinal in his mid to late 60s.

  9. He is the Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura. This is a really big deal. The years to come require expertise in canon law, not just theology. Cardinal Burke is already a Vatican insider. He already has experience at the highest canonical authority, second only to the Supreme Pontiff himself.

  10. Most importantly, Cardinal Burke is extremely Marian. He has great devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. He continues the tradition beginning with Pope Pius IX and extending up to Bl John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. For me, Fatima is the key to everything going on in the Catholic Church. I think Cardinal Burke feels the same way. Moreover, he is close to the Friars of the Immaculate and he helped establish the shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Please also read Cardinal Burke's piece on "Our Lady of America. 

Let me add one more - an eleventh reason: nobody suspects Cardinal Burke to be elected. That is almost always a necessary feature of a papal candidate.

So there you have it: 10 reasons (plus one) why the cardinals will rally to Cardinal Burke in the conclave. You'll see Cardinal Burke in a white cassock before end of March...maybe even donning the old tiara!

[Biggirl]

Do not feel bad, having grown up NOT knowing much about Latin as a language of prayer let alone go to a Latin Mass, the newer mass is all I know and this is one who is in her 50’s.

[ottbmare]

Why do you say you don't understand the Latin Mass? Today, at least, there is a side-by-side translation of the Latin into English. In this video, Cardinal Burke discusses the fact that the beauty of the Extraordinary Form calls to us: Burke on the Latin Mass

If you are dissatisfied with the quality of the priests at your local parish because they were too liberal, vote with your feet. Others feel the same way; you can join with them, or drive to another parish. The resources are amazing--online Divine Office, online video homilies, TV, radio, instructional materials. We have almost an embarrassment of riches. But leaving the Church and worshipping elsewhere, which implicitly means denying or disbelieving in the teachings of the Church and adopting the heretical teachings of some other, man-made outfit, isn't the way to cope with bad homilies.

Here is a video by Dr Scott Hahn that absolutely convicts us on the need to get back to Mass. The last few minutes, starting at 1:06, are overwhelming:Hahn at Steubenville If you watch this, I think you'll realize that your boredom--that is, your failure to detect entertainment value in Christ's actual Presence before us--is absolutely at the bottom of the list of life's priorities. This made me go running back to mass the morning after I saw it, chastened but grateful. I hope it will have the same effect on you.

[NYer]

Those who look to the Church for entertainment and to alleviate boredom won’t agree.

Dear friends, while I do not know your ages, I can guess that Linda F and I are fairly close in age since I too grew up with the Latin Mass. Since that was the ONLY mass, no one questioned it. For the benefit of more youthful freepers who are just discovering the TLM, please bear with me on this, okay?

Back in the pre VCII 50s and 60s, just about everyone attended mass, not from love so much as from fear of burning in hell for all eternity. In those days, shopping malls, if they even existed, were closed on Sundays, as were supermarkets, and just about any other convenience store.

Churches were packed. There were no microphones, nor air conditioning just the steady whir of large fans blowing hot air around the packed church, drowning out the words of the priest, who was facing ad orientem. Altar servers responded on behalf of the congregation; the choir sang, also on behalf of the congregation. It was totally non participatory. As such, the older ladies in attendance would pray the rosary. The sound of clicking beads were heard interspersed with the mumbled prayers and responses and choral music. Linda, do you share a similar memory?

Post VCII, changes arrived at lightening speed. Each Sunday, we would find something new had occurred: altars were turned around and the congregation was asked to respond along with the altar servers. No matter how poor our voices, we were now asked to sing along with the choir. It took a while for people to get the hang of this; many were reluctant since it was not permissible prior to this council. It didn't take long before EMHCs were introduced and that also was a shock to the system, since we were taught that only the priest could touch the consecrated host. We adjusted.

Several years ago, after battling liturgical abuse at my RC parish, a fellow freeper pointed me to a TLM celebrated in a nearby parish. I dusted off my pre VCII missal and looked forward to finally experiencing a reverent liturgy. I settled into a pew and looked around. Nearby was an older woman on her knees praying the rosary (I could hear the clicking of the beads). Several pews were filled with young families: dad in a suit, mom wearing a dress and holding a baby, 3 young children in similar attire holding the same, small missal I used at their age, and a few teen girls wearing maxi skirts. The priest rang the bell as he entered the sanctuary. There were the two altar servers in chasuble and cassock. The mass began and I strained to hear the words of the priest. The altar servers responded in Latin, the choir sang, the rosary beads clacked, the fans whirled and I felt as though I had just stepped out of a time machine, back into the 50s. I wanted to join my response to those of the altar servers but noticed that no one else did, so I kept quiet, When the choir began to sing a hymn I love, I began to join them and drew the attention of those in the pews. I shut up. It was the first and last time I ever attended the TLM.

I returned to the NO liturgy at my parish and continued to battle the liturgical abuse until I witnessed a EMHC drop a consecrated host on the sanctuary floor, bend over to pick it up and redeposit it in her glass communion bowl. It was the final straw. I bowed my head and asked our Lord to guide me to "a holy priest, a reverent liturgy and a community where my God given abilities could be of assistance". That same day, I drew up a list of other parishes within a certain radius of home. Each Sunday I attended mass at a different parish, always repeating the same prayer. A fellow freeper suggested I include any Eastern Catholic Churches that might be nearby. There were two: Maronite and Ukrainian. On March 7 that year, the Maronite Church surfaced on the list. The liturgy immediately transported me to the East, where Jesus, Mary and the Apostles had lived. Its reverence spoke to my heart and I was transfixed by the prayers, many of which were written by St. Ephrem and even the Apostles themselves. The liturgy was chanted and clouds of incense rose heavenward. The priest explained that the Maronite Church retains the language of Jesus for the words of consecration. Hearing him chant in Aramaic was like being at the Last Supper. Communion was by intinction and on the tongue. Only the priest, bishop or deacon may distribute communion so there were no armies of EMHCs rushing up to the sanctuary. I recognized that this was our Lord's answer to my prayer.

Since joining the parish, I have shared my God-given talents, serving as VP of the women's sodality, elected to the Parish Council, made Director for Religious Education, developing a program that grew from a few children to the largest in the parish history. When the pastor decided to move us to a former Methodist Church, we needed money to refurbish the building. With God's assistance, I was able to have the church recognized as an historic landmark and successfully write 2 grants that generated nearly $500,000. (I had never written a grant and left everything in God's hands).

The point I want to make here is that I never looked to the Church for entertainment and to alleviate boredom. All I ever wanted was a parish where I could worship our Lord in a reverent manner. I am gratified to see the enthusiasm of younger catholics towards the Traditional Latin Mass. Just keep in mind that your experience is not the same as what we actually lived. Your TLM communities are small, like my Maronite community. We are all most blessed to be members of the Catholic Church and the various expressions of the liturgies celebrated in her 22 Eastern and Western Churches. It is unfair to draw the comparison of someone's recollected memory to your more recent one. The liturgy may be the same; the way in which it is presently celebrated is vastly different.

[stanne]

The TLM Mass I once attended recently, is a bad memory. There was no comprehension at all of what was happening on the altar and the church building was not only the ugliest churches I’ve been in (see “the Cube and the Cathedral”, G. Weigel, it was the ugliest building I’ve been in. So, as we in the congregation were ignored as participants - excluded, really- there was nothing to meditate on, but ugliness.

I would not call it reverent.

There is a novus ordo mass across town. We go when we can. The priest is reverent, not because it is latin, but because he is reverent. He is so when he says Mass in the vernaculr, english.

When people say they’re bored in Mass I tend to perhaps unfoundedly, perhaps not, but from long experience, that there is a lot more to the situation.

Latin isn’t good because it is reverent, but it isn’t bad because it’s mumbled. Where a priest is reverent, the congregation is reverent, and vice versa.

Latin is the language of the Catholic Church, with all respect and reverence due Vatican II which certainly does not obstruct Latin, as seen today when the college of cardinals enthusiastically prayed the rosary in latin en masse.

But mumbled latin is no more latin than is unintelligible english, english.

[sneakers]

Oh my goodness! I remember sitting next to my mother at mass right after I made my First Holy Communion. I remember following along with my new missal with both the Latin and English. I knew exactly what was going on. Years later, I finally got to go to a Latin mass again and I sat there and cried tears of joy. How beautiful and reverent. How I wish we had even a reverent Novus Ordo mass where I live!

[Eepsy]

Burke is 80/1 on paddypower right now. I feel like tipping off my UK relatives. Put a pony on him now, and I’ll reimburse them later LOL

[NYer]

Where a priest is reverent, the congregation is reverent, and vice versa.

I totally agree! My pastor is young, monastic and humble. When he says the Prayer of Elevation, his eyes focus upwards and our eyes are drawn as well. He is totally immersed in the worship.

Latin is the language of the Catholic Church

Correction: Latin is the official language of the Latin Church.

Catholic Church

Although it is not widely known in our Western world, the Catholic Church is actually a communion of Churches. According to the Constitution on the Church of the Second Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium, the Catholic Church is understood to be "a corporate body of Churches," united with the Pope of Rome, who serves as the guardian of unity (LG, no. 23). At present there are 22 Churches that comprise the Catholic Church. The new Code of Canon Law, promulgated by Pope John Paul II, uses the phrase "autonomous ritual Churches" to describe these various Churches (canon 112). Each Church has its own hierarchy, spirituality, and theological perspective. Because of the particularities of history, there is only one Western Catholic Church, while there are 21 Eastern Catholic Churches. The Western Church, known officially as the Latin Church, is the largest of the Catholic Churches. It is immediately subject to the Roman Pontiff as Patriarch of the West. The Eastern Catholic Churches are each led by a Patriarch, Major Archbishop, or Metropolitan, who governs their Church together with a synod of bishops. Through the Congregation for Oriental Churches, the Roman Pontiff works to assure the health and well-being of the Eastern Catholic Churches.

While this diversity within the one Catholic Church can appear confusing at first, it in no way compromises the Church's unity. In a certain sense, it is a reflection of the mystery of the Trinity. Just as God is three Persons, yet one God, so the Church is 22 Churches, yet one Church.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church summarizes this nicely:

"From the beginning, this one Church has been marked by a great diversity which comes from both the variety of God's gifts and the diversity of those who receive them... Holding a rightful place in the communion of the Church there are also particular Churches that retain their own traditions. The great richness of such diversity is not opposed to the Church's unity" (CCC no. 814).

Although there are 22 Churches, there are only eight "Rites" that are used among them. A Rite is a "liturgical, theological, spiritual and disciplinary patrimony," (Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, canon 28). "Rite" best refers to the liturgical and disciplinary traditions used in celebrating the sacraments. Many Eastern Catholic Churches use the same Rite, although they are distinct autonomous Churches. For example, the Ukrainian Catholic Church and the Melkite Catholic Church are distinct Churches with their own hierarchies. Yet they both use the Byzantine Rite.

To learn more about the "two lungs" of the Catholic Church, visit this link:

CATHOLIC RITES AND CHURCHES

Aramaic, the language of Jesus, Mary and the Apostles, is the official liturgical language of the Maronite Catholic Church.

Its Patriarch, Bechara Boutros Cardinal Rai is a voting member of the conclave.

Also present as a voting member of the conclave is

Mor Baselios Cardinal Cleemis of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, that also retains Aramaic for the Consecration. Both were elevated at the "surprise" November consistory. When Cardinal Cleemis received the Vatican notification of his elevation to cardinal, here is how he responded.

“On receiving the letter I straight away went to St. Peter’s Basilica, to Peter’s tomb and I knelt down and prayed. And then I spent an hour at the tomb of Blessed John Paul II, who in fact appointed me as bishop in 2001, at the age of 42. Then after praying the rosary there I went to St. Mary Major, this is a place that gives me a lot of consolation, strength and confidence where I can pray unnoticed by anyone”.

The presence of both these cardinals in the conclave is a critical component in reminding the Latin Rite cardinals that the Catholic Church breathes with 2 lungs. They will no doubt raise their voices with regard to the catastrophic decimation of christians in the Holy Lands and Middle East. The Catholic Church is universal.

[VermiciousKnid]

Cardinal Burke is my favorite — I’d be delighted and relieved if he became Pope.

Regards,

[Heart-Rest]

Thanks for the post and the ping NYer.

Your Maronite Liturgy sounds wonderful. I wish one of those Maronite Churches was close to me, but unfortunately there are only a few "English vernacular Mass" Churches near where I live now, and a couple of them might even be closed soon. On my own path into the Catholic faith, for a while I attended an Orthodox Church (not aligned with the Catholic Church). Their celebration of the "Divine Liturgy" proceeds with a lot of very beautiful and reverent music and chanting, and I think it was based on the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. The only place I saw the "Traditional Latin Mass" was on TV (EWTN) a while ago.

(By the way, I wish you could have my old house recognized as an historic landmark, and successfully write a couple grants for me for $500,000!) ☺

After Dr. Taylor Marshall wrote this original article, he got some feedback expressing a couple objections to his prediction, and he responded to those objections here:    Dr. Taylor Marshall answers objections to his bold prediction.

He may or may not be right in his prediction, but it is at least interesting to read his take on it!

Thanks again, NYer, and thanks for all the posts-n-pings you do. They are sincerely appreciated.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Have
to
admit
I
laughed
...
;oD

[NYer]

Thanks for pinging me to Dr. Marshall's follow up. Seems he is totally convinced that Burke is the best choice. Meanwhile, Sandro Magister At Chiesa.com also believes an American will be elected. He's placing his money on this one.

An American in Rome, Bound for the Chair of Peter and, NO, it's not Mahony!

[StAnDeliver]

Dolan. Looks like a guy who has thrown a punch and taken a few. A man who bespeaks wisdom with a regular guy/dioscean priest attitude and is acutely aware of the meta-perils of secularism -- which frankly lays all over Dr. Marshall's 10 Trees and No Forest.

But the main reason is tv. Dolan projects better than any other of his kind on cable and can handle the minute absurdities of the MSM.

I know no Pope has ever hailed from a superpower in the modern era, but no superpower has ever been run by a bitter secularist before, either.

[Heart-Rest]

It would have been good if Archbishop Chaput of Philadelphia had been made a Cardinal before this conclave.

I think his name would have been one that would have been bounced around a lot for consideration too.

[lrslattery]

We hope and pray that this would come to pass!

[tiki]

I’m not claiming to be special and I hope I’m not but sometime in the summer I was convicted to start praying for the pope in earnest and from there for the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. Then came the prayers for Mary to show us her Son and to pray for the Church. Then prayers for our holy priests and then prayers for our not so holy priests, because God can make them holy.

I couldn’t wait to pray and sometimes I felt like I couldn’t pray fast enough to pray what I had to pray.

[irishjuggler]

Liberal heads will explode if Burke is elected. It'd be something akin to the time Jim Buckley won the New York Senate seat on the Conservative ticket (i.e., an uber-conservative, dream candidate somehow pulling off a surprise victory)... times 100.

Do I think it could happen? I don't know. It's not as unlikely as some think, though. This is a more conservative, traditionalist-leaning conclave than the one that elected B16.

[Heart-Rest]

"An American in Rome, Bound for the Chair of Peter and, NO, it's not Mahony!"

Upon further reflection, this article you also linked to might have a point too.

Cardinal Dolan IS an Irishman, and St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner...

[Salvation]

Pope Prediction: 10 Reasons Cardinal Burke Will Be the Next Pope
Popeless but not Hopeless
Election of Pope Trivia Quiz
Black Socialist Pope to Follow Black Socialist President?
Pope watchers keeping tabs on Vatican 'backroom boys'
Catholicism, True Reform and the Next Pope
Cardinals announce adoration, Vespers ceremony for conclave
When Will the Conclave Start? Pope Benedict's Final Legislative Act
Vatican Diary / The "who's who" of the new pope's electors (broken down by continent)
Letter #31: The Program, and the Sheriff (Mahony, Sandri, Anti-Pope)

Famous last tweets before cardinals enter media blackout of conclave
Cardinal O'Malley lists sex abuse, Curia reform as priorities
Old establishment cardinals hope for quick conclave
Cardinals Begin Pre-Conclave Meetings Amid Scandal
Lombardi: 12 Cardinal electors yet to arrive as 1st Congregation concludes
A ticket to vote for the first Latin-American Pope
Three candidates for Pope who are on few people's lists
Omens and portents and signs! OH MY! (minor earthquake near Castel Gandolfo)
‘Church changing big time,’ says Cardinal Dolan
Letter #30: The Next and the Last (media, papabili, Ganswein in tears)

Editorial: "Religious correspondents", "Vaticanists": don't know more about Conclave than us
During “Sede Vacante” what must priests say in the Eucharistic Prayer now that there is no Pope?
What is a [Catholic] Cardinal? A Basic Review of the College of Cardinals in History and Today
Benedict XVI's first night as Pope emeritus
Toward the Conclave. The Pressure on the Cardinals [Catholic Caucus]
Papal Apartments, Basilica Sealed for Sede Vacante
Update on Conclave Start Date
Cardinal Dolan: Pope Benedict 'fragile' on last day of papacy (good handling of msm)
Prayer for the Election of a New Pope
Interregnum Terms and Expressions, Q and A Format (Nuts & Bolts-current situation) [Catholic Caucus]

[Biggirl]

He will be doing St. Patrick’s Day most likely in Rome this year! :)

To all the Irish FRpers, have a good and blessed St. Patrick’s day! :)

[Biggirl]

.....And the old common wisdom rules of not electing a Pope from a “superpower”, even a fading one could simply just NOT apply anymore.