Archibishop Timothy Dolan is seen in front of St. Patrick’s Cathedral – New York, NY
Posted on 01/09/2012 6:40:48 AM PST by NYer
Archibishop Timothy Dolan is seen in front of St. Patrick’s Cathedral – New York, NY
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — He was just named a cardinal, but could Timothy Dolan one day be named Pope? WCBS 880′s Rich Lamb posed that question to Vatican expert John Allen.
Allen cautioned that “historically there has kind of been a taboo against a superpower Pope, that is electing a Pope from one of the global super powers, and that probably still is in play.”
That tradition lowers the chances of Dolan becoming the first American elected to the Chair of Peter.
“I mean, if you can get past the fact that he is an American, he has virtually everything that people have traditionally looked for in a Pope,” Allen added.
As evidence, Allen cited the time Dolan spent in Rome as a student and as rector of the North American College, as well as the cordial relationship he has with his soon-to-be fellow cardinals.
“He has a lot of direct pastoral experience running complex archdiocese both in Milwaukee and in New York. He can play on a big public state. He has serious credentials with a Ph.D in Church History,” Allen said.
Being an American is still a serious impediment, but he’s pretty much got the package you would expect in a serious papal candidate.
Do you agree with the “vatican expert”? Is Dolan papabile? Your thoughts!
Do you agree with the “vatican expert”? Is Dolan papabile? Your thoughts!
I often see the archbishop as I work near St. Patrick’s Cathedral. He has a tremendous positive energy about him. The kind of person who can light up a room.
The Holy Father gave New York a great gift with Archbishop Dolan.
Taboo against a superpower Pope? The Italians took care of themselves for four hundred years, then we get a Pole and a German (which, last time I checked, wasn’t what I would call globally irrelevant.)
If anything, I would say it’s more of a taboo against non-europeans.
Some conservatives really like him, some don’t.
I hope any new Pope is a long way off. I reckon it’s going to be a heck of a long time before we get one that speaks english without some sort of “international” accent.
Freegards, thanks for all the pings
Honestly, I don’t think there will ever be a pope from America ... no matter how wonderful of a cardinal they may be.
My thoughts: I’ll just leave this choice in God’s hands.
In the meantime: Long live Papa Benedict!
;-)
I wouldn’t say it’s a taboo against non-Europeans, exactly, but it’s simply that the places more remote from Rome traditionally had less power (primarily because it was physically difficult for their people to get back and forth to the halls of power and thus the Italians took over simply by being there). But things have changed and there are now many more non-Europeans in positions of power at the Vatican, and many more non-European cardinals and top heirarchs. There has been much discussion of a couple of African or Latin American candidates as papabile, btw.
I think that the problem is simply that the Italians have controlled the Vatican for a long time, again, for reasons of proximity, and it is only grudgingly that they are opening up to anybody outside of Italy at all. I was disappointed to see that the Pope named a large number of new Italian cardinals this year, thus reinforcing Italian power there.
That said, Italians are ravingly anti-American, so this would probably militate against the cardinals’ even considering Dolan. However, other than that, I could certainly see him on the list of papabile.
Yes. That is, I would hope so. He’s a wonderful man, and we loved him in Milwaukee.
What kind of statement is that about there is a “tradition” against a Pope from a superpwer country? Since when does that have to do with anything? Until JPII was elevated, the Pope was always from Italy (except a couple from France back in the Dark Ages).
We’ve only had “Superpowers” since WWII. That’s not a long tradition in the Vatican.
Of course Dolan spent a long time in Italy and knows the country and its people well. He was the head of the North American College there (where he also is a graduate, I think). I imagine that he is greatly at ease with the Italians, as he is anywhere.
Yes, he gets along well with everyone. Certainly, he does have a lot of experience with Italians, which might help.
Much of this will probably depend on who the consistory is made up of by the time it is needed - not for a long time, I hope!
I agree. (a long time before it is needed)
Dolan is not papabile — a good thing, IMO. I’m not hostile to the man, but I think he’s a bit too much the glad-hander, trying too hard to be all things to all people. I’m pleased that he’s in NY, and pleased with his exercise of leadership there and in the USCCB. I don’t believe he has a proper spiritual appreciation of (small-t) tradition, specifically in liturgy and the uniqueness of the Catholic Church as the universal means of salvation. He has spent a fair amount of time in Rome, but mostly in an inbred, Americanist environment. The curial life has its own drawbacks, bit at least there one has the opportunity to outgrow nationalism and to acquire romanitas. He is brisk, practical, and efficient, and these all have their uses. He is utterly innocent of gravitas, as far as I can tell.
Of course I am hoping that Cardinal Dolan can help mend .....or clean-OUT those liberal individuals within the Church, and enforce the Pro-Life approach to those such as the Kennedys, Pelosi's and Kerrys.....and other Catholics and Christians in the political arena.
According to Malachy’s prophecy the next pope will be Peter of Rome. I see that Dolan has spent a lot of time in Rome. And he could pick the name Peter.
I too hope it is some time away, since the next pope will supposedly reign during the Tribulation.
In my opinion, we are going to experience a minor chastisement followed by better times before the age of the Antichrist.
And those prophocies are not attributable to St. Malachy. Sorry.
It’s not just proximity. The Church was all-in-all, church AND state, and the Papa the King for centuries. Until the 20th century, the idea of a non-catholic pope would have been as abhorrent as the idea of a non-citizen President of the United States, and for the same reason. Governments around the world had reason to fear the Catholics living among them, because of the fact that their loyalties were with Rome over their native lands.
Dolan has a better chance at becoming Pope than John Allen has in becoming an “expert.”
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