Vatican City, April 3
With the death of Pope John Paul II, a chain of events laid down by
centuries of papal tradition swung into action, but who will emerge as
the next pontiff is a guess no one dares to hazard.
A pope from Italy, reverting to habit? An African pontiff? How
about Latin America, or India?
Ivan Dias, the 69-year-old Archbishop of Mumbai, carries the best
hopes of the Indian Subcontinent.
No one knows for sure and those who might have an idea — the
cardinals who actually choose the next leader of the world’s 1.1
billion Roman Catholics — certainly aren’t giving much away.
Nevertheless the process is underway, triggered automatically by
the death yesterday of the conservative 84-year-old Pope John Paul II
who had headed the Holy See since his own election in 1978.
No doubt the impending election will be on their minds when
cardinals hold their first congregation on Monday to begin planning
the pontiff’s funeral.
However, the conclave at which cardinals choose a successor must
not start until at least two weeks after a Pope’s death, but no
later than 20 days.
One of the few to have talked about the succession, Cardinal
Francis George of the Chicago archdiocese, urged the next Pope not to
make radical changes.
“People think things are up for grabs that aren’t up for
grabs,” he told a press conference after a memorial mass. However,
he admitted, “we may need a different kind of Pope.”
In a possible indication of his thinking, he said although there
were good reasons to elect a Pope from Africa, Asia or Latin America,
he would have to be “acceptable to the Romans. He should speak
Italian.”
Some Vatican insiders think cardinals will likely return to a safe
Italian candidate — John Paul II was the first non-Italian pontiff
in 455 years.
“I don’t think the college of electors will risk electing a
foreigner. The Italians are the inner circle,” one said under cover
of anonymity.
In that case, the front-runner could be Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi,
who as Archbishop of Milan oversees the most populous diocese in
Europe. Aged 71, he is seen as an intellectual, a pastor and someone
who would have new ideas.
Another Italian possible is Angelo Scola, patriarch or archbishop
of Venice who at 63 counts as one of the Church’s younger set.
A moderate, he is thought likely to have the backing of Opus Dei, a
highly conservative grouping which has several European and Latin
American cardinals among its supporters.
Away from Italy, potential candidates are Oscar Andres Rodriguez
Maradiaga, the 62-year-old Honduran cardinal who has campaigned
against poverty; Claudio Hummes, archbishop of Sao Paulo; and Dario
Castrillon Hoyos of Colombia.
Nigeria’s Francis Arinze is regarded by many as the best
non-Italian bet. A conservative, he would become the second African
pope after Gelasius I in the late fifth century. — AFP
