[Liz]

Like John Paul, (Cardinal Tettamanzi) is very conservative about church doctrine - taking strong positions against homosexuality, stem cell research and abortion - but liberal when it comes to issues of social justice. .....most importantly, he was a favorite of John Paul, is believed to have ghostwritten some of his encyclicals and would represent a smooth continuation of the late Pope's policies....

Good start.

[Cicero]

I'm a bit suspicious that the New York Times was pushing this guy yesterday, and now the Daily News is pushing him today. They say he is conservative. I wonder.

[Constitution Day]

(favorite of John Paul 11, thinks like him)

Wait, wait!
What about John Pauls 3 - 10?!

;^)

[Castro]

Like all but one of the voting cardinals, Tettamanzi is not a member of the secretive archtraditionalist group, but he has allied himself with them.

Any idea who the one Opus Dei Cardinal is?

[Finalapproach29er]

Bookmakers in London have him as the favorite.

Posted a few days ago. Yes, I know it's in poor taste.

[July20]

but liberal when it comes to issues of social justice.

Sounds like a fiscal socialist.

[MadIvan]

Sorry. I do not trust the Italian Church to maintain conservative values. The next Pope should come from Africa, the most conservative bastion.

Regards, Ivan

[Hacksaw]

I'd favor that dude from Nigeria. From what I read, he is orthodox and a non compromiser.

[pa mom]

Yikes! Now I can't gamble either? :)

[Verginius Rufus]

They're right that a 71-year-old cardinal is unlikely to have a 26-year reign if elected pope.

There's a good chance that whoever is elected will be someone who isn't being talked about now...after the election of Karol Wojtyla in 1978, the NY Times had to admit he had not been mentioned even as a dark horse.

Of the 117 cardinals, subtract the 11 Americans and the known liberals among the European cardinals...the new pope will almost certainly be from among the remaining cardinals (although they could in theory pick someone who hadn't yet been named cardinal, that's unlikely).

[pa mom]

He called for "placing in common the welfare and the goods of all, material and immaterial, physical and spiritual"
____________________

How are we, as trying-to-be-good Catholics, to reconcile this with our political beliefs? Should moral trump political here?

[Heatseeker]

If he becomes Pope, he'll be the rare one with a nudgy mom.

"Hi Mom! Guess what happened to me today?!"

(However I think I will stick with Cardinal Arinze.)

[hoagy62]

Remember the old warning concerning papal 'favorites':

"Enter a Pope, exit a Cardinal."

[Land_of_Lincoln_John]

No chance. Speaks only Italian. Much has changed since the death of Pope Paul VI.

[blastdad51]

Yea right! Listen to the handicappers, put your mortgage on the front runner and someone else will own your house.

How can anyone profess to know who the conclave might elect?!!!

Give me a break!!! sit back, relax and wait to see what happens!!

Bdad

[paudio]

"One African child sick with AIDS counts more than the entire universe,"

Really?

[JohnnyZ]

in an echo of the famous "usual suspects" movie line, wrote: "He is a liar, and his greatest lie is that he does not exist."

How stupid of a journalist is this that she uses "The Usual Suspects" as her cultural reference point? Helen Kennedy is a frickin' moron!

That line has been around FOREVER. Lord only knows who said it first, but it was popularized at LEAST as early as in Chesterton's writings.

[Mad Mammoth]

If there is a dark horse, it would be Theodore Cardinal McCarrick (Archbishop of Washington D.C.). Yes, he is American, yes, he is way too liberal on many issues, but he is infinitely comfortable with the media, naturally well spoken in English, and being almost 75 means that he would not be Pope for more than 25 years. If he were selected as the next Pope, the liberal lamestream media in this country would just about have a mass orgasm, as they view McCarrick as 'their' kind of Cardinal, i.e., doesn't think the death penalty should be expanded to cover terrorists, is wishy-washy on denying Communion to pro-abortionists, oh he is as liberal as Pope John Paul II was conservative, but most importantly?

He's a nice guy, or at least he certainly comes across that way.

And that is all you need to be successful in front of that camera.

[Waco]

Jimmie Carter is going to monitor this election, isn't he?

[Remole]

I think a more interesting question is who are the Pope-makers. I think Ratzinger is certainly one; even though some Cardinals dislike him for his hardline stance towards theologians, he must have aquitted himself wonderfully during the funeral, esp. with that marvelous homily. Next Pope-maker is Cardinal George of Chicago. The Cardinals will not select an American, but they do have to consider the American mileu and thought-process, and out of all the American Cardinals, George is the one most respected because of his intellect, courage, and time in Rome as head of his order. Also consider that Arinze may also be a Pope-maker because his recent public statements make me think that he really does not think it wise for an African to be Pope right now--but that will not stop him from working hard to make sure that the man chosen matches his views. So, to sum up, 3 Pope-makers on the Conservative side.

There are other Pope-maker on the liberal side, esp. Daneels of Belgium. But all in all, that side of things will in no way reach 77 votes.

So I think it almost certain that the next Pope will be conservative in terms of dogma and substance. So, now, what about style? I think the cardinals must have been deeply shaken by the scene before them at the funeral: hundreds of 1000 of young people eager to live out the faith, yearning for a charismatic figure like JPII. This makes me think that the next Pope will be younger, in his 60's. What Cardinal matches all of those elements?? [Maybe we should start a new thread?]