2008 Woodie Awards
Electing a Pope is Not Just a Matter of Listing Ideal Characteristics
What should we anticipate from a new pope in a new generation?
David C. Steinmetz/syndicated writer/krt campus
Issue date: 4/8/05 Section: Opinions
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The next pope will be elected by a relatively small group of high clergy known as cardinals, the special advisers to the pope. They assist him in the governance of the Roman Catholic Church and, upon his death, elect his successor.
Some cardinals, such as Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, live in Rome and run departments in the Vatican. Others, like Francis George in Chicago, are diocesan clergy, charged with the pastoral care of archdioceses.
Of the 117 cardinals eligible to vote for the next pope, only three were not appointed by John Paul II. Their average age is 71.7 years. 58 are from Europe, 21 from South America, 14 from North America, 11 from Africa, 11 from Asia and two are from Australia.
The fact that there are no clear frontrunners for the post has not stifled speculation about who might succeed the late pope. The Italians, who dominated the papacy from 1523 to 1978, would very much like to have it back. The odds-on favorite candidate from Italy is the rotund and cheerful Archbishop Dionigi Tettamanzi of Milan, whose principle liability seems to be his lack of fluent English.
However, Europe is no longer the heartland of the Catholic church. With two-thirds of Catholics living in the Southern Hemisphere, cardinals may wish to consider for the first time a candidate from Latin America or Africa, perhaps Claudio Hummes of Brazil or Francis Arinze of Nigeria. Arinze has the additional advantage of being an expert on relations between Christianity and Islam.
The cardinals are well aware of the problems the new pope will face. Among the most severe is the acute shortage of clergy, brought on in part by the reluctance of young Catholics to assume a celibate life. John Paul II had been adamant on the subject of celibacy. He reiterated the traditional Catholic position that priests must be celibate males.
On this question, the next pope may choose a different path. After all, the tradition that priests must be celibate males is not a dogma, which cannot be changed, but a matter of discipline, which may be manipulated. Catholic priests in Anglo-Saxon England were often married, and priestly celibacy has not been uniformly enforced throughout the history of the church.
Some cardinals, such as Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, live in Rome and run departments in the Vatican. Others, like Francis George in Chicago, are diocesan clergy, charged with the pastoral care of archdioceses.
Of the 117 cardinals eligible to vote for the next pope, only three were not appointed by John Paul II. Their average age is 71.7 years. 58 are from Europe, 21 from South America, 14 from North America, 11 from Africa, 11 from Asia and two are from Australia.
The fact that there are no clear frontrunners for the post has not stifled speculation about who might succeed the late pope. The Italians, who dominated the papacy from 1523 to 1978, would very much like to have it back. The odds-on favorite candidate from Italy is the rotund and cheerful Archbishop Dionigi Tettamanzi of Milan, whose principle liability seems to be his lack of fluent English.
However, Europe is no longer the heartland of the Catholic church. With two-thirds of Catholics living in the Southern Hemisphere, cardinals may wish to consider for the first time a candidate from Latin America or Africa, perhaps Claudio Hummes of Brazil or Francis Arinze of Nigeria. Arinze has the additional advantage of being an expert on relations between Christianity and Islam.
The cardinals are well aware of the problems the new pope will face. Among the most severe is the acute shortage of clergy, brought on in part by the reluctance of young Catholics to assume a celibate life. John Paul II had been adamant on the subject of celibacy. He reiterated the traditional Catholic position that priests must be celibate males.
On this question, the next pope may choose a different path. After all, the tradition that priests must be celibate males is not a dogma, which cannot be changed, but a matter of discipline, which may be manipulated. Catholic priests in Anglo-Saxon England were often married, and priestly celibacy has not been uniformly enforced throughout the history of the church.