Cardinals Differ on Who Will Succeed Pope

[stumbler]

Apr 1, 3:55 PM (ET)

By RACHEL ZOLL

Pope John Paul II has named nearly every cardinal who will elect his successor, but that does not mean the next pontiff will be just like him.

The world's cardinals hold diverse and often conflicting views about what are the most pressing issues for the Roman Catholic Church and will likely seek out a leader with different qualities than John Paul's.

"The cardinals, when they come in the conclave, they follow their conscience and they see what's useful for the church today," said Belgian Cardinal Godfried Danneels, in a recent interview with The Associated Press. "There is not that kind of nepotism in the church - 'I appointed all the cardinals so there will be exactly my copy.' No. We are a bit more intelligent than that."

The next pope will confront a range of challenges, including scientific advances that conflict with Catholic teaching; the decline of religious observance in Europe and North America; an explosion in church membership in the Third World; and a dwindling number of priests in the West.

He will be taking over at a time of sometimes deadly interfaith tensions, and during a period of enormous global unrest, as world leaders confront terrorism in ways the church does not always condone. Yet when the cardinals decide who among them can handle these issues, some of their concerns may seem mundane.

After a quarter-century of John Paul's strong personality and hands-on management style, some want Vatican officials to stay out of the day-to-day operations of dioceses. Others believe officials in Rome should stay deeply involved to crack down on dissent.

Some church leaders believe cardinals and bishops should have more say in church governance, while others think that power should remain mostly with the pope.

In simple terms, the new pope could be the kind of boss the cardinals want for themselves.

They also will look for a man with a strong command of English and Italian, to communicate with the world's Catholics and with church officials in charge of the day-to-day operations of the Vatican.

Age may also be a factor. John Paul's papacy of 26 years has been one of the longest in church history, and the cardinals may back an older candidate as a "transitional pope" - someone whose tenure may not be quite so long.

"Most cardinals don't think a really long papacy will be a good idea," said James Hitchcock, a historian and church expert at Saint Louis University. "But with modern medicine if they elect a man who is 70, he could live until he was 95."

Geography also will influence the vote. John Paul was the first non-Italian pope in 455 years. Vatican observers disagree over whether there will be pressure in the conclave to return the papacy to an Italian, or whether they will want to send a signal to the burgeoning ranks of Catholics in the Third World by choosing an African or Latin American candidate.....
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http://apnews.myway.com/article/20050401/D896RAG00.html

[Lilyofthevalley]

Interesting.

[Strider]

Originally Posted by stumbler

"The cardinals, when they come in the conclave, they follow their conscience and they see what's useful for the church today," said Belgian Cardinal Godfried Danneels, in a recent interview with The Associated Press. "There is not that kind of nepotism in the church - 'I appointed all the cardinals so there will be exactly my copy.' No. We are a bit more intelligent than that."

Gee, and here I always thought they followed the Holy Spirit.
I read something about this particular cardinal recently. I don't remember exactly what he did, but my feeling is that it was almost heresy.
I don't meant to hurry J P II on his way, and I'm praying for him, but the Church continues. We must also pray for the Holy Spirit's selection of the next pope.

[UnworthySoul]

God Bless the Holy Father. I think a worthy successor would be Cardinal Arinze (should the Spirit guide it, of course).

[Genesis315]

Originally Posted by Strider

Gee, and here I always thought they followed the Holy Spirit.
I read something about this particular cardinal recently. I don't remember exactly what he did, but my feeling is that it was almost heresy.
I don't meant to hurry J P II on his way, and I'm praying for him, but the Church continues. We must also pray for the Holy Spirit's selection of the next pope.

He said condoms were ok to use in Africa to prevent AIDS. I think he also made statements that support the ordination of women, but I may be mistaken on this one.

[Sparky]

Originally Posted by Genesis315

He said condoms were ok to use in Africa to prevent AIDS. I think he also made statements that support the ordination of women, but I may be mistaken on this one.

I hadn't heard that. In fact, he was slammed at GW University for speaking on family issues against homosexuality, etc.

--Ann

[dumspirospero]

I don't believe so..I believe the elevation of Arinze to Pope would be a political statement more than anything....we need a person more along the lines of JPII...even though there are the liberals in the Church that are hoping for a more liberal Pope, who will allow for ordination of women and allow for the use of birth control etc....that would be a grave mistake and we need another strong Pope to continue to lead the Church during this rough time in our history. Cardinal Ratzinger is the ideal candidate. They most likely want a Pope that will have a shorter pontificate....and Ratzinger is the perfect man for the job.

Originally Posted by UnworthySoul

God Bless the Holy Father. I think a worthy successor would be Cardinal Arinze (should the Spirit guide it, of course).

[demolitionman65]

Gee, and here I always thought they followed the Holy Spirit.

Ideally, the Spirit is informing their consciences.

However, if he recommends condoms for Africa. . .

[Edwin1961]

Originally Posted by UnworthySoul

God Bless the Holy Father. I think a worthy successor would be Cardinal Arinze (should the Spirit guide it, of course).

Yes, Francis Cardinal Arinze would be a most interesting choice. I saw him on EWTN last month and he 'had me going.'
I agreed with his orthodox stance on the issues. Arinze has a sense and knowlesge of Church History and how to interact with iddderent faiths and traditions.

As an Eastern Catholic, I believe he would be a most excellent choice.

[dumspirospero]

I think sometimes we spend too much time on Ecumenism and not focusing on our Faith...I could be wrong, but I became Catholic because it is different by leaps and bounds compared to Protestant Religions, and I just don't see the big rush to try to become more like the Protestants.

[UnworthySoul]

Originally Posted by Edwin1961

Yes, Francis Cardinal Arinze would be a most interesting choice. I saw him on EWTN last month and he 'had me going.'
I agreed with his orthodox stance on the issues. Arinze has a sense and knowlesge of Church History and how to interact with iddderent faiths and traditions.

As an Eastern Catholic, I believe he would be a most excellent choice.

Agreed. May I ask which Rite of the church you are a member of?

[Genesis315]

Originally Posted by Sparky

I hadn't heard that. In fact, he was slammed at GW University for speaking on family issues against homosexuality, etc.

--Ann

I was talking about Danneels. You're thinking of Arinze.

[Edwin1961]

Originally Posted by UnworthySoul

Agreed. May I ask which Rite of the church you are a member of?

Rutherian Rite -Byzantine Catholic

[UnworthySoul]

Cool, there is a Byz-Ruthenian church not far from where I live. I'm hoping to attend soon to experience it. I have heard the Mass is amazing there as well as at Maronite churches, none of those are nearby however.

[mtr01]

It seems a little creepy to be talking about the next pope when the Holy Father is still living. Suffice it to say that I'd be happy with either Arinze or Ratzinger.