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Tuesday, August 10, 2010 Speculation on the Next Papal Consistory Canon Lawyer Ed Peters (pictured right), who now serves under Archbishop Burke (pictured right) as a "Referendarius" at the Vatican's office of the "Apostolic Signatura" is now speculating about who Pope Benedict might name as new Cardinals at the next papal Consistory. Since it is Cardinals who vote in papal elections, the choices will be in some way consequential for the Church's future. Rome basically shuts down in August, and here in the USA summer vacation is winding its way toward Labor Day. So it’s a great time to speculate...

Vatican City, Jan 26, 2010 / 12:38 pm (CNA).- Citing the high number of cardinals reaching 80 years of age, Vatican experts say the possibility of a consistory taking place soon is becoming evermore likely.  By the end of March 2010, there will be no fewer than 12 positions available for the elevation of new cardinals.Cardinals reaching the age of 80 are no longer able to vote in the election of a new Pope, should the occasion arise.  Currently there are 182 members of the College of Cardinals, spanning all ages, with 112 eligible to vote in Papal conclaves.The traditional...

NPR.org, April 2, 2005 · "Tip O'Neill was correct," says Father Tom Reese, editor in chief of America, the Catholic weekly magazine. "All politics is local... even in the Catholic Church." Reese suggests that instead of focusing on the possible papal candidates as a bookie would look at horses in the starting gate, try to think about the election from the point of view of the electors, the cardinals who cast the votes. "Each cardinal is thinking, how will this candidate go over in my diocese?" Reese says. "If you're from the Third World, you're concerned with people who are...

VATICAN CITY For the moment, 117 cardinals are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect Pope John Paul's successor, but the number could actually be 118. When John Paul created new cardinals in 2003, he said he was keeping one name secret, or "in pectore" -- meaning "in the heart." The name remains secret until the pope announces it or leaves instructions for that to be done. The formula has been used when a pope wants to name a cardinal in a country where the church is oppressed. That's leading to speculation it could be a prelate from China,...

Traditionalists are closing ranks to ensure their grip on church will endure By James Doward THE OBSERVER , LONDON Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005 It is a question being asked with ever greater urgency in the upper echelons of the Roman Catholic hierarchy: to what extent will Pope John Paul II's legacy to the church be a clone of himself? As the world watches the pain-racked pontiff's superhuman attempts to remain as spiritual head of more than a billion Christians, his most loyal lieutenants are closing ranks to ensure that his conservative philosophy continues to hold sway. A cabal of aides,...

<p>There were supposed to be no new cardinals until next February. At least that was the conventional wisdom. So when the pope announced his intention to appoint 31 cardinals to the college of electors later this month, it was big news. The question was: Why so soon?</p>

The Celestine Conclave by Jonathan Tuttle After the death of Pope Nicholas IV in 1292, the Catholic Church experienced a papal interregnum which lasted well over two years. For the entire year of 1293, the Church was without a visible leader on earth. Though the Church was undergoing a dangerous phase of sedevacante, the electors were nevertheless deadlocked, with each side intent on getting its man appointed to the most powerful position on earth. With tensions mounting, on July 5, 1294, it was revealed to the electing cardinals that a devout hermit had prophesied divine retribution if they did not...