Canadian cardinal is the most likely next pope say insiders

@ falconflash … I’m pretty sure that the spire atop St. Peter’s Basilica has been hit by lightning millions of times since it was built and not one of them a “sign” from Heaven” I was just playing off the members of the media who like to scare superstitious people with insinuations. I’ve been on the roof of St. Peter’s a few times and have seen the copper lightning conductors installed there that ensure the dome won’t ever be destroyed because of lightning, just like your own home probably has (or should have) a lightning conductor on it. In fact, copper lightning conductors are deliberately installed on all tall buildings to “invite” lightning to strike the electricity-conductive copper to transfer their electrical power’s danger safely to the absorbing earth beneath our feet and our homes.

I guess a Canuck Pope isn't any stranger than a Nazi Pope.

jacersagain: I wonder how common it is for lightning to hit the Vatican? I am a conservative Catholic but not ready to say this is a sign from God.

You do not seem to understand the process for electing a pope. After the vacancy occurs, the cardinal electors will assemble in the Sistine Chapel and be locked in with a few staff. They will vote several times a day until a candidate gets 2/3 plus one of the ballots. No one will enter or leave until a pope is elected. There will not be any voting between now and the time the cardinals assemble.

(…more) Who’s to say that the RCC Cardinals might opt for the leader of any of the Catholic Churches in communion with Rome, such as Patriarch Louis Raphael the First, of the Chaldean Catholic Church (i.e. of the Babylonian, or Syrian and Iraqi, extending to America, Church) - (ironically elected only last month in Rome of all places - ironically due to the resignation, also due old age, of Patriarch Emmanuel the III Delly) or Pope Tawadros II Soki, Pope of Alexandria and the Coptic Church, elected only last year, in whose land there were video’d Apparitions of Our Lady recently… perhaps a sign from Heaven? - not to mention the possible sign(??) of both a still and a televised bolt of lightning actually striking the spire of St. Peter’s Basilica on the night of the day that Benedict announced his resignation? Yeah, I know… I wouldn’t dare place my bets with a bookie on that kind of election happening either but it does perhaps remain an option of surprise for the Pope-electors.

While there is a long tradition of electing a Pope from within their own ranks, there is nothing in Canon Law to say that the electing Cardinals can’t elect any Catholic male, whether of the RCC or of any of the Catholic Churches, who is outside of the RCC’s College of Cardinals. After centuries of Italian Popes, the election of a Polish Cardinal and a German Cardinal as two successive Popes came as a huge surprise to all, even media-savvy journalists, never mind the bookies. Who’s to say … (More…)

An interesting selection of candidates by Garry O’Sullivan… it’s interesting too that he mentions a few ‘papabiles’ who are “media-savvy”… as if the RCC needs its Pope to be media-savvy (what arrogance from the Editor of the Irish Catholic magazine paper!)… That’s not even a part of any Pope’s qualifications, or role or job. Sure there’s certainly hardly a media person of any note in the world who is Papacy-savvy, so what credits any media person assumes as going to count in the election of the next Pope are completely out of the wash, not in the wash.

I’ve read that the Canadian is yet another arch conservative. It might be time to have an African Pope, and the Ghanaian and Nigerian are both eminently qualified. My favorite is Gianfranco Ravasi though. I think he’s the least conservative of the lot who apparently is all about keeping the church relevant.

it should be a latin american that canadian looks too american for the job. Would make the others suspicious of so-called master of the free ...

I’ve read that the Canadian is yet another arch conservative. It might be time to have an African Pope, and the Ghanaian and Nigerian are both eminently qualified. My favorite is Gianfranco Ravasi though. I think he’s the least conservative of the lot who apparently is all about keeping the church relevant.

I doubt if it will be Us pope so it will be the Canadian

Why do they have only 20 days? They usually vote after the pope has died, so it's not as if we can't go with a pope for a few days. I've never heard of any time limit on the election.

Peter Romanus is supposed to be the final pope. I put my money on Peter T.

Maradiaga seems to be emerging as a probable , mainly due to his American base, but now it's emerging that he could have the most brains of the leading contenders...