Canadian cardinal is the most likely next pope say insiders

Cardinal Marc Ouellet visited Ireland, Cardinal Dolan longshot

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Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet likely to replace Benedict XVI as pope

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Garry O’Sullivan

Staying with the developing world, Cardinal Oscar Rodríguez Maradiaga represents Latin America's next best chance at a Pope. The young and well versed Honduran who was ordained for the Salesians in 1970 holds a doctorate in theology from the Pontifical Lateran University, Rome, and a diploma in clinical psychology and psychotherapy from Leopold Franz University, Innsbruck.
If the consistory of cardinals decides not to break with tradition and elect a European Pope to succeed the German Ratzinger, the likelihood is that he will be Italian. Among the Italians, Cardinal Angelo Scola, Archbishop of Milan is a strong contender having recently been moved from Venice to Milan, the most important archdiocese in Italy after Rome.

Read more: St. Malachy predicted Pope Benedict’s successor will be last pope

Prior to his appointments in Venice and Milan, the Holy Father appointed him Rector of the Pontifical Lateran University and President of the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family in 1995. He was also Relator General of the Synod of Bishops in 2005.

The media savvy Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, President of the Pontifical Council for Culture, is another Italian hotly tipped as a possible successor to the throne of St Peter. He was born in Merate, Italy and ordained a priest of the archdiocese of Milan in 1966 following studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University and at the Pontifical Biblical Institute.

He has written many books, articles for L'Osservatore Romano and L'Avvenire and even hosts his own television show Frontiers of the Spirit. He was created and proclaimed Cardinal by Benedict XVI in 2010.

Another European possible is the Czech born Dominican Archbishop of Vienna, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn. He will be remembered for preaching the Lenten spiritual exercises for the Pope and the Roman Curia in 1996. Cardinal Schönborn has also been the author of many publications and is favourable with Benedict for his work with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

He taught chemistry, physics and music at various Salesian colleges in El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala and was professor of moral theology and ecclesiology at the Salesian Theological Institute, Guatemala, and is currently President of the Episcopal Conference of Honduras and Caritas International.

Whoever takes over, they will need to present to the world, to paraphrase President Obama, an open hand and not  a fist, in other words, they need to be signs of compassion in a world that expects them to follow in the footsteps of the carpenter from Nazareth.

Garry O'Sullivan is Editor in Chief of The Irish Catholic newspaper - www.irishcatholic.ie

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