Could Cardinal Timothy Dolan from New York be the first American pope?

Well, it would continue the current policy of pedophile protection.

Dolan!! Another lurch to the right for the PPX mob.

KweenOHearts stated "a** from a hole in the ground". You are ever so eloquent, at ignorance. And by the way, you just have to hit the key labelled "Enter" once, and amazingly it will work.

would it be to much to hope that the next CEO OF THIS BRILLIANT MONEY MAKING ENTERPRISE DO WHAT NO OTHER CEO has done for 2,000 years and issue a papal bull excomunicating and making plain to the gullible faithful that there is positively no place in the church for abuse and paedophiles.

would it be to much to hope that the next CEO OF THIS BRILLIANT MONEY MAKING ENTERPRISE DO WHAT NO OTHER CEO has done for 2,000 years and issue a papal bull excomunicating and making plain to the gullible faithful that there is positively no place in the church for abuse and paedophiles.

An excellent choice would be Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino, who once served in Burma as a young Vatican diplomat who said: ''There is much work still to do to curb human rights and to prevent child labour, the use of rape as a weapon of war, human trafficking, repression of religion and a lack of freedom of speech to name a few road ahead tasks''. What needs to be done you might ask – here’s four London examples indicating Christianity is at war in the workplace with the Courts as can be seen in the recent rulings of the European Court of Human Rights; Recent cases and rulings include Nadia Eweida and Shirley Chaplin which concerned the freedom to wear a crucifix in the workplace. Mrs Ladele, a civil registrar who refused to marry two homosexuals and Islington Council dismissed her. A Mr McFarlane had expressed his doubt at work about his ability to provide marriage guidance counselling for same-sex couples specially men, and his employers dismissed him for gross misconduct. Paddy Powers should go 3 to 1 Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino, 9 to 1 Doaln, 15-1 the field.

only, if he passes thru israel as he did when picking up his red cap in Rome. Either way the new Latin pope will have to revise history to fit as Benedict and john 23rd - two that come to mind have done.

Cardinal Dolan???After allowing Obama to make a fool of him? You must be joking. If you want to put up an American Cardinal try Cardinal Burke. How about from Asia. A superb candidate would be Cdl. Albert Malcolm Ranjith of Colombo. He has been a diplomat, is a member of several of the Congregations of the Church and speaks 10 languages. He also could be the conduit by which the Lefebvrists could return to Rome and the current flow of Anglicans (back to Rome) would continue. There are some fine men who could amply fill the shoes of the fisherman in all aspects. Cardinal Ouellette is also on the list. No matter our wishes, God is in control. God Bless our dear Pope Benedict and may the Pontiffs desire for peaceful solitude be granted to him.

Please for give my poor typing. That should say "succeed" not "sucees" and "Pope's," not "Pop's."

paulpaulpaul: My brother and I were discussing rules to sucees to the Papacy yesterday, long before the Pop's announcement. The only rule is one cannot be a woman, one needs to be willing to be celibate, and one must be a Roman Catholic. So if a married man is chosen, the wife would have to agree to enter a convent (I have no idea what hppens if there are children in the picture). If one is a non-Catholic, one has to agree to be baptized. So, you are a candidate, sir; however, as my brother commented, the Cardinals who do the electing have tended to do so from within their own ranks for the past few centuries. So, I am sorry old boy, though you are a candidate, I fear that your chances may be a bit slim at this time. Keep your chin up, though.

On the advice of my many Vatican City benefactors, and on their recognition of my abilities, I humbly will be candidate for the papacy.Among my strong beliefs;-We should no longer engage with Europe as Supplicants , we need to show sharp elbows in our dealings with Europe-Send a message to Paris and Berlin . Lets consider looking at Corporation Tax - but to decrease it as they are doing in Ireland-Bailout is unfair, it is crippling the Irish faithful-We need to look outward for jobs-I`m aware of and will respect constitutional boundaries of Papacy.

Am I exaggerating the Pontiff's shrewdness, cunning when thinking that he wants the Conclave, many of whom he has chosen, to vote for another ultra conservative, people-be-damned successor while knowing that he is watching closely? The position has incredible opportunity and it is reasonable to expect the unthinkable in the next few decades. Let's hope that a man emerges who will give real hope and assistance to those who have been abandoned by society, forgotten by most religions. Oremus.

Responding only to the article: "God forbid." The current Pontiff has been working very hard to remake the CC in such a way that it will preserve his image of what the Church should be. The best we can pray for - and we should - is someone with a low enough profile that they are not on record for the same drift to denial and the right. A loving pastoral, effective administrator Pope who can lead the church back to the reforms of Vatican II may be too much to hope for, but one which will make that possible for a future Pope is essential for the Church to prosper in its core mission in the coming century.

Looks like the IC 'conclave' is in full operating mode!! Aren't we lucky to have 'cardinals' like redhand32, Swineford, McNamara31, Joan1954, Nicomax, Collette2, etc ad infinitum --people who are SURE they clearly know the mind of GOD and what is best for His people!-- deciding who exactly is best to lead 1.2Billion faithful... when by all evidence it's clear as far as the CC is concerned, not a single one of them knows their a** from a hole in the ground... much less what would be good for a Church they hate. -- One would think they not only think the Holy Spirit has their hand in a firm grasp... but that they are the HS themselves!

Looks like the IC 'conclave' is in full operating mode!! Aren't we lucky to have 'cardinals' like redhand32, Swineford, McNamara31, Joan1954, Nicomax, Collette2, etc ad infinitum --people who are SURE they clearly know the mind of GOD and what is best for His people!-- deciding who exactly is best to lead 1.2Billion faithful... when by all evidence it's clear as far as the CC is concerned, not a single one of them knows their a** from a hole in the ground... much less what would be good for a Church they hate. -- One would think they not only think the Holy Spirit has their hand in a firm grasp... but that they are the HS themselves!