The ANNOTICO Report

Long usage has limited the choice to one of the cardinals themselves and
the Italian word "papabile" -- literally "popeable" -- is applied to
prelates who seem to have the qualities necessary to be elected.

For many, the man at the top of the list is Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger,
though he turns 78 in April.
Another influential figure is Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the pope's vicar as
bishop of Rome and another of the pontiff's close associates. Ruini himself
is not considered papabile, but 70-year-old Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi,
the archbishop of Milan, and Cardinal Angelo Scola, the patriarch of Venice
certainly are definite papabili.

Archbishop Agelo Comastri, 60, until recently bishop of Loreto, a potential
impending cardinal.

My favorite is Argentine Jesuit Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the
69-year-old archbishop of Buenos Aires, a man who combines intense
spirituality and authoritative strength. His election would be ironic
because Bergoglio is known to dislike of the pomp and circumstance of the
Vatican, and visits Rome as infrequently as possible. At home, his simple
life-style is legendary, often riding the bus from the modest apartment
where he lives (and cooks his own meals) to his office in the center of the
city.

http://www.wpherald.com/storyview.php?StoryID
=20050225-051914-9454r

World Peace Herald
By Roland Flamini
UPI Chief International Correspondent
February 25, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Two Italian cardinals and a German, with an Argentinian as a
long shot, head the list of most-likely candidates to succeed Pope John
Paul II who was hospitalized Thursday for the second time in less than a
month. The Vatican said Friday the 84-year-old pontiff was able to breathe
on his own following a tracheotomy operation, but the surgery raised
questions how much longer John Paul II, who has Parkinson's disease, will
be able to continue to lead the world's 1 billion Roman Catholics.

    The upbeat medical bulletin from the hospital did little to stop
speculation about the papal succession. It is widely believed that John
Paul II has written a memorandum on how to proceed should he become
incapacitated -- a situation not forseen in church law. Only a handful of
senior prelates are likely to know the contents of the pope's instructions.

    But when the pope dies, the election of a new pope will follow a
well-established, minutely detailed procedure; 119 cardinals under the age
of 80 meeting behind closed doors in the Vatican will pray to the Holy
Ghost for guidance before every ballot, even as they participate in a
historic selection process that would not be unfamiliar to a Washington
politician.

    Long usage has limited the choice to one of the cardinals themselves
and the Italian word "papabile" -- literally "popeable" -- is applied to
prelates who seem to have the qualities necessary to be elected. While it's
considered both unseemly and counter-productive for a cardinal to campaign
on his own behalf, there are always others ready to advance his cause.

    Father Andrew Greely, the American sociologist and best-selling author
once said in the conclave -- as the papal election is called -- the
qualities of the various front-runners are scrutinized and discussed in
smoke filled rooms, the same as they would be in any old-style Chicago
political ward. According to an old Vatican saying, he who enters the
conclave a pope comes out a cardinal; but speculation has not always proved
wrong.

    For many, the man at the top of the list of papabili now is Cardinal
Joseph Ratzinger, though he turns 78 in April. The German-born prelate has
been head of the Congregation (department) for the Doctrine of the Faith
for the past 23 years. He is only one of three remaining cardinals who
voted in the conclave 25 years ago that elected Pope John Paul II: all the
other electors received their red hats -- the symbol of their elevation --
from the present pope. To his detractors, Ratzinger is rigid and
doctrinaire: to his admirers his firm hand guides the church along true
conservative lines. With no polls to rely on, accurate assessments are hard
to come by. Still, Ratzinger's "candidacy" for the papacy is said to have
wide support in the church.

    He has been one of the present pope's closest collaborators, and his
backers feel he represents continuity of the typically Wojtylian battles
that have distinguished this pontificate, such as the defense of life,
clerical celibacy, and the so-called "antropological challenge," the
confrontation between the Christian vision of man and the one that reduces
him to a part of nature. Sandro Magister, the prominent Vatican
correspondent, says Ratrzinger's supporters want him "to repair the
failures of (Vatican Council II) and to guide the Church along a sure
path."

    If he is not destined to be the new pope, Ratzinger is expected to be a
"grand elector," an influential voice in who is chosen as the next
successor to St Peter. Another influential figure is Cardinal Camillo
Ruini, the pope's vicar as bishop of Rome and another of the pontiff's
close associates. Ruini himself is not considered papabile, but 70-year-old
Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi, the archbishop of Milan, and Cardinal Angelo
Scola, the patriarch of Venice certainly are definite papabili.

    Tettamanzi's detractors say he comes as close to running for the papacy
as he can without breaking the rule against campaigning. A moral
theologian, he is said to have provided a lot of the expertise for Pope
John Paul's seminal 1998 papal document on bioethics. He has strong
conservative credentials, but he has spoken out against mistreatment of
immigrants, and in favor of moral restraints on the process of economic
globalization. Progressive groups such as the Community of Sant'Egidio like
him: he has backed the Sant'Egidio initiatives on ecumenical and
inter-religious dialogue. Which is possibly why observers say his support
from the arch-traditionalist Opus Dei movement -- which has gained
considerable influence in the Vatican during this papacy -- was once
strong, but now seems to have waned.

    Two of the last four popes -- John XXIII, and the ill-fated John Paul I
-- were elected from the same office now held by Cardinal Scola. Can the
present patriarch of Venice make it a three? Scola, 63, has gained a lot of
attention by addressing an issue that is certain to loom large for the next
pope -- the church's relations with Islam. In 2003, he founded a learning
center in Venice called Studium Generale Marcianum open to Christians who
live in the Islamic world. Opus Dei is involved in running the Marcianum,
which is named after St. Mark, the patron saint of Venice. Scola also
recently launched the magazine Oasis, which explores the relationship
between Islam and Christianity and is published in five languages,
including Arabic and Urdu. An intellectual and a disciple of the Swiss
Catholic theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar, he is close to the Italian
organization Communion and Liberation and taught theology until appointed
to the ancient Venice see.

    Should Pope John Paul recover sufficiently, some Vatican specialists
expect him to create more cardinals, and the move is expected to add
another Italian papabile to the list. He is Archbishop Agelo Comastri, 60,
until recently bishop of Loreto. Comastri headed the Vatican Jubilee
celebrations in 2000. Noted for his skill as a preacher, he was chosen to
deliver last year's series of Lenten sermons for the pope and members of
the Vatican Curia -- a signal honor -- and, according to Sandro Magister
"held everyone spellbound." Shortly afterward Comastri was appointed to a
senior post in the Vatican. Some observers were drawing parallels between
Comastri and Pope Paul VI who as Archbishop Giovanni Battista Montini of
Milan was considered a virtual shoo-in following the death of his mentor
Pius XII in 1958, but was not eligible because he was not yet a cardinal.
He was then elected in 1963, following the death of John XXIII.

    If the Italian candidates cancel each other out, a possible alternative
would be the Argentine Jesuit Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the
69-year-old archbishop of Buenos Aires, a man who combines intense
spirituality and authoritative strength. His election would be ironic
because Bergoglio is known to dislike of the pomp and circumstance of the
Vatican, and visits Rome as infrequently as possible. At home, his simple
life-style is legendary, often riding the bus from the modest apartment
where he lives (and cooks his own meals) to his office in the center of the
city.

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