Hot topic!
Will he be as conservative as PJP2 or try to change things around?
I have no idea what the cardinals are like but it will be interesting to see what kind of person is appointed to the position. History in the making!
The new Pope
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Will Digges
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junkyardjew
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slapdash21
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To all who think the next pope will be soon:
"There is no clear front-runner to succeed the man who died Saturday after 26 years as leader of a worldwide religion whose arcane election traditions date to the 12th century and earlier.
For 455 years before Karol Wojtyla's election, the pope was Italian. But now, "the field is wide open," says the Rev. Thomas Reese, editor of the Jesuit magazine America. When 117 cardinals assemble in two or three weeks to choose a new pope, "nationality and race will mean nothing," papal biographer George Weigel says.
Those who were stunned in 1978 by the selection of a Polish pope should be prepared for a black pope or a brown one; for a pope who pilots a plane or rides mass transit; for a pope from Sao Paulo or Bombay. Or Honduras. When Cardinal Oscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga of Tegucigalpa appears before Hispanic audiences, they chant, "John Paul III! John Paul III!"
For the first time in centuries, Catholics around the world dare to hope for their native sons. Sitting in the shade of a mango tree at a guesthouse for missionaries in Nairobi, the Rev. Peter Dada of Sudan dreamed of an African pope.
"The influence of Africa in the church today is great," he says. "So the question has to be, 'Can an African bishop succeed John Paul II?' And the answer must be yes."
Everywhere there was speculation, among the devout and the not-so-devout. In Ireland, Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi of Milan has long been listed as favorite in an online betting poll.
This week, Rome is awash with lists of papabili- Italian for likely papal candidates. They include cardinals who have been papabili for a decade, such as Francis Arinze of Nigeria and Angelo Sodano, the Vatican secretary of state, who called the late pope "John Paul the Great."
The best known cardinal is a long shot: Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, who has inspired conservatives and irritated liberals as head of the Vatican department that polices the teaching of Catholic doctrine.
There is nothing this side of the Renaissance like the election of a pope. The deliberating and balloting are conducted in secrecy enforced by threat of excommunication. The results are announced by a puff of white smoke and a few words in Latin. Campaigning is discouraged. A 60-year-old may be too young.
The cardinals under age 80 - those eligible to vote - will gather as soon as 15 days but no more than 20 days after the pope's death. They vote in the Sistine Chapel, under Michelangelo's famous ceiling.
To be elected, a candidate must receive two-thirds plus one of the votes. But John Paul, who picked all but three of the cardinals who will choose his successor, approved a rule that would allow a pope to be elected by a simple majority in case of an eventual deadlock. The cardinals can elect any male Roman Catholic, although no non-cardinal has been elected since 1378.
A papal election does not necessarily begin with the focus on specific candidates. The cardinals tend to look first at what the times demand and then think about who can best meet the challenge.
Qualifications
• He must be in excellent health to counteract the recent image of a frail, nearly incapacitated pope. Moreover, the last pope's own predecessor, Pope John Paul I, died after only 33 days in office.
• He must have charisma - not necessarily as much as John Paul II, but enough to hold the world stage that the last pope made his own. The voting cardinals probably will seek someone with "a winning personality," Reese says. "It can be very different than John Paul's, but it must be one that could win the imagination of the whole world."
• He must be well-known to other cardinals. Prelates who are from smaller cities, or don't work in Rome or don't travel much, can't make the contacts usually needed to win a papal election.
• He must be willing to travel. Again, Arinze stands out. And Dario Castrillón Hoyos, 75, a Colombian who has held various Vatican positions, is a world traveler, but Bergoglio seems to prefer to stick closer to home, and Tettamanzi hasn't traveled as much as many of his peers.
• He must speak many languages. Rodríguez of Honduras is fluent in seven languages; Ivan Dias of Mumbai (Bombay) speaks 17.
• He must not seem too ambitious or eager for office. Ratzinger has indicated a desire to retire, and at 77 he has already had a long, distinguished and powerful career. Tettamanzi, conversely, may have pushed a bit aggressively to be named archbishop of Milan.
• He must not be an American, given the United States' status as the world's superpower. If the cardinals were to elect one, Reese says, "half the world would think the CIA fixed the election, or that Wall Street bought it."
The fact that Cardinal Francis George of Chicago is an American, for example, actually hurts his chances to become pope. George himself has said choosing someone from the world's superpower "would not be helpful to the mission of the church."
Questions
Beyond these criteria, Vatican watchers Reese, Allen, Shaw and others raise some of the tough questions the cardinals will probably have to answer before they select the next pope:
• Should he be Italian? Italy has 20 cardinals eligible to vote - the largest delegation from a single country. How badly do they want to reclaim the papacy? "If the Italians get their act together and back one candidate, they'll have the next pope. But if they are split among two or three candidates, then who knows," Reese says.
• Should he be a caretaker pope? An older man with a shorter reign could give the church a breather after John Paul's long, eventful papacy. Or do the immediate challenges of the church require a younger, more vital man prepared to serve for decades?
• Should the papacy continue to focus as intensely on sexual morality, or pay more attention to other issues, such as poverty, economic and social justice, the environment or the challenge of Islam? All are high on the agenda of the developing world, Reese says.
• Should there be a shift in how the church is governed, away from the Vatican and more toward the dioceses and national bishops' conferences? Those who like strong Vatican control might favor Ratzinger or another Vatican insider, Giovanni Battista Re.
• Where is it more important to promote the faith: in Western Europe, which is becoming known for its empty cathedrals, or in the Third World, where the church is growing fastest?
• Who could best fight the problem of sexual abuse by priests? It's of particular concern in the United States, but does not rank as high in other parts of the world.
In Vienna, Schönborn succeeded an archbishop who was forced from office by such a scandal. He got high marks for dealing sensitively with the aftermath. Scola of Venice has grappled with the related issue of the declining number of new priests.
On the other hand, Rodríguez of Honduras raised some eyebrows when he defended Cardinal Bernard Law, who was forced out as archbishop of Boston by clergy sex scandals.
Once the voting starts, the paper ballots will be sewn together and burned. Outside, the world will wait to see what comes up the chimney. Black smoke means no winner; white means a pope has been elected.
Then a senior cardinal, Jorge Arturo Medina Estévez, the deacon of the College of Cardinals, will appear in a window of the basilica and announce to the world in Latin, Habemus papam- "We have a pope."
Who will that be? Cardinal Philippe Barbarin of France, who gets to vote, said Sunday in a radio interview that he had a model in mind: "When you see his face, and when you hear him speak, you should have the impression like that made by the arrival of John Paul II. ... 'Wow, here you can see Christ come among us!' "
"There is no clear front-runner to succeed the man who died Saturday after 26 years as leader of a worldwide religion whose arcane election traditions date to the 12th century and earlier.
For 455 years before Karol Wojtyla's election, the pope was Italian. But now, "the field is wide open," says the Rev. Thomas Reese, editor of the Jesuit magazine America. When 117 cardinals assemble in two or three weeks to choose a new pope, "nationality and race will mean nothing," papal biographer George Weigel says.
Those who were stunned in 1978 by the selection of a Polish pope should be prepared for a black pope or a brown one; for a pope who pilots a plane or rides mass transit; for a pope from Sao Paulo or Bombay. Or Honduras. When Cardinal Oscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga of Tegucigalpa appears before Hispanic audiences, they chant, "John Paul III! John Paul III!"
For the first time in centuries, Catholics around the world dare to hope for their native sons. Sitting in the shade of a mango tree at a guesthouse for missionaries in Nairobi, the Rev. Peter Dada of Sudan dreamed of an African pope.
"The influence of Africa in the church today is great," he says. "So the question has to be, 'Can an African bishop succeed John Paul II?' And the answer must be yes."
Everywhere there was speculation, among the devout and the not-so-devout. In Ireland, Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi of Milan has long been listed as favorite in an online betting poll.
This week, Rome is awash with lists of papabili- Italian for likely papal candidates. They include cardinals who have been papabili for a decade, such as Francis Arinze of Nigeria and Angelo Sodano, the Vatican secretary of state, who called the late pope "John Paul the Great."
The best known cardinal is a long shot: Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, who has inspired conservatives and irritated liberals as head of the Vatican department that polices the teaching of Catholic doctrine.
There is nothing this side of the Renaissance like the election of a pope. The deliberating and balloting are conducted in secrecy enforced by threat of excommunication. The results are announced by a puff of white smoke and a few words in Latin. Campaigning is discouraged. A 60-year-old may be too young.
The cardinals under age 80 - those eligible to vote - will gather as soon as 15 days but no more than 20 days after the pope's death. They vote in the Sistine Chapel, under Michelangelo's famous ceiling.
To be elected, a candidate must receive two-thirds plus one of the votes. But John Paul, who picked all but three of the cardinals who will choose his successor, approved a rule that would allow a pope to be elected by a simple majority in case of an eventual deadlock. The cardinals can elect any male Roman Catholic, although no non-cardinal has been elected since 1378.
A papal election does not necessarily begin with the focus on specific candidates. The cardinals tend to look first at what the times demand and then think about who can best meet the challenge.
Qualifications
• He must be in excellent health to counteract the recent image of a frail, nearly incapacitated pope. Moreover, the last pope's own predecessor, Pope John Paul I, died after only 33 days in office.
• He must have charisma - not necessarily as much as John Paul II, but enough to hold the world stage that the last pope made his own. The voting cardinals probably will seek someone with "a winning personality," Reese says. "It can be very different than John Paul's, but it must be one that could win the imagination of the whole world."
• He must be well-known to other cardinals. Prelates who are from smaller cities, or don't work in Rome or don't travel much, can't make the contacts usually needed to win a papal election.
• He must be willing to travel. Again, Arinze stands out. And Dario Castrillón Hoyos, 75, a Colombian who has held various Vatican positions, is a world traveler, but Bergoglio seems to prefer to stick closer to home, and Tettamanzi hasn't traveled as much as many of his peers.
• He must speak many languages. Rodríguez of Honduras is fluent in seven languages; Ivan Dias of Mumbai (Bombay) speaks 17.
• He must not seem too ambitious or eager for office. Ratzinger has indicated a desire to retire, and at 77 he has already had a long, distinguished and powerful career. Tettamanzi, conversely, may have pushed a bit aggressively to be named archbishop of Milan.
• He must not be an American, given the United States' status as the world's superpower. If the cardinals were to elect one, Reese says, "half the world would think the CIA fixed the election, or that Wall Street bought it."
The fact that Cardinal Francis George of Chicago is an American, for example, actually hurts his chances to become pope. George himself has said choosing someone from the world's superpower "would not be helpful to the mission of the church."
Questions
Beyond these criteria, Vatican watchers Reese, Allen, Shaw and others raise some of the tough questions the cardinals will probably have to answer before they select the next pope:
• Should he be Italian? Italy has 20 cardinals eligible to vote - the largest delegation from a single country. How badly do they want to reclaim the papacy? "If the Italians get their act together and back one candidate, they'll have the next pope. But if they are split among two or three candidates, then who knows," Reese says.
• Should he be a caretaker pope? An older man with a shorter reign could give the church a breather after John Paul's long, eventful papacy. Or do the immediate challenges of the church require a younger, more vital man prepared to serve for decades?
• Should the papacy continue to focus as intensely on sexual morality, or pay more attention to other issues, such as poverty, economic and social justice, the environment or the challenge of Islam? All are high on the agenda of the developing world, Reese says.
• Should there be a shift in how the church is governed, away from the Vatican and more toward the dioceses and national bishops' conferences? Those who like strong Vatican control might favor Ratzinger or another Vatican insider, Giovanni Battista Re.
• Where is it more important to promote the faith: in Western Europe, which is becoming known for its empty cathedrals, or in the Third World, where the church is growing fastest?
• Who could best fight the problem of sexual abuse by priests? It's of particular concern in the United States, but does not rank as high in other parts of the world.
In Vienna, Schönborn succeeded an archbishop who was forced from office by such a scandal. He got high marks for dealing sensitively with the aftermath. Scola of Venice has grappled with the related issue of the declining number of new priests.
On the other hand, Rodríguez of Honduras raised some eyebrows when he defended Cardinal Bernard Law, who was forced out as archbishop of Boston by clergy sex scandals.
Once the voting starts, the paper ballots will be sewn together and burned. Outside, the world will wait to see what comes up the chimney. Black smoke means no winner; white means a pope has been elected.
Then a senior cardinal, Jorge Arturo Medina Estévez, the deacon of the College of Cardinals, will appear in a window of the basilica and announce to the world in Latin, Habemus papam- "We have a pope."
Who will that be? Cardinal Philippe Barbarin of France, who gets to vote, said Sunday in a radio interview that he had a model in mind: "When you see his face, and when you hear him speak, you should have the impression like that made by the arrival of John Paul II. ... 'Wow, here you can see Christ come among us!' "
Joshua Annis
"Don't Panic..."
"I woke wanting nothing more than a box of Gushers....
DENIED
I shake my first at the sky."-Matt Cross
"Yeah, seriously! When I got back into my cubicle Jazz started throwing dimes at me. What an asshole."-David Wilder
"Don't Panic..."
"I woke wanting nothing more than a box of Gushers....
DENIED
I shake my first at the sky."-Matt Cross
"Yeah, seriously! When I got back into my cubicle Jazz started throwing dimes at me. What an asshole."-David Wilder
im not raceist but that would be kinda odd...hose who were stunned in 1978 by the selection of a Polish pope should be prepared for a black pope or a brown one
thats just funny and sad all at the same time.• He must not be an American, given the United States' status as the world's superpower. If the cardinals were to elect one, Reese says, "half the world would think the CIA fixed the election, or that Wall Street bought it."
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junkyardjew
- BSOS Beast
- Posts: 457
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Well, I'm definitely not the first person to say that. Most popes live only ten or fifteen years. The last one became the pope after the one before him died something like 33 DAYS into his reign.you must be WAY too stupid to write such a things...
This is actually a consideration - bishops were saying things like that in interviews. It's not 'cause I hate the pope or anything (although I did. even though catholocism is growing fastest in africa, he refused to endorse condoms as a means of slowing the spread of HIV).
There's a fifteen day mandatory period of mourning before the next vote can take place.To all who think the next pope will be soon:
... in two or three weeks to choose a new pope...
And as far as I can tell it's not "wide open", there are maybe three or four cardinals with a real shot at making pope. My money is on the OLD one.
Jared MacKay
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BainbridgeShred
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comastalker
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Punters have also been putting money down on who will succeed John Paul as pope. Italian Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi is the favorite according to both an Irish bookmaker and a U.S. betting Web site.junkyardjew wrote:I hope he's that Nigerian. I'd love there to be a black pope... they're probably gonna pick somebody OLD though, cause JP2 lived WAY too long...
Running second with both the bookmaker and the Web site was Nigeria's Francis Arinze. Cardinals will meet later this month in the Vatican to elect a new pontiff.
Joshua Annis
"Don't Panic..."
"I woke wanting nothing more than a box of Gushers....
DENIED
I shake my first at the sky."-Matt Cross
"Yeah, seriously! When I got back into my cubicle Jazz started throwing dimes at me. What an asshole."-David Wilder
"Don't Panic..."
"I woke wanting nothing more than a box of Gushers....
DENIED
I shake my first at the sky."-Matt Cross
"Yeah, seriously! When I got back into my cubicle Jazz started throwing dimes at me. What an asshole."-David Wilder
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carl winslow
- Atomsmashasaurus Dex
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carl winslow wrote:any male catholic can be elected pope- it doesnt have to be a cardinal.
The constitution says that any natural born US citizen can become president but that doesn't mean it's gonna happen. I understand what you're saying, I just don't understand the point of your post.delakong wrote:• He must be well-known to other cardinals. Prelates who are from smaller cities, or don't work in Rome or don't travel much, can't make the contacts usually needed to win a papal election.
Joshua Annis
"Don't Panic..."
"I woke wanting nothing more than a box of Gushers....
DENIED
I shake my first at the sky."-Matt Cross
"Yeah, seriously! When I got back into my cubicle Jazz started throwing dimes at me. What an asshole."-David Wilder
"Don't Panic..."
"I woke wanting nothing more than a box of Gushers....
DENIED
I shake my first at the sky."-Matt Cross
"Yeah, seriously! When I got back into my cubicle Jazz started throwing dimes at me. What an asshole."-David Wilder
--David CornPope John Paul II was adored by millions, he was a historic figure who helped nudge the Soviet Union toward collapse, and a papal death hasn't happened in decades. But I do find it odd that much of the media discussion has not covered a fundamental point: what was the Pope really all about? To be precise, he headed an institution that promotes the view that only a certain sort of Christian who faithfully heeds a certain set of (conservative) rules will be granted access to the eternal Kingdom of God. And for the rest of us--other followers of Christ, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, druids, wiccaners, animists, and atheists--it's damnation of some sort.