NEW YORK BOSTON |#Popular: Irish Celebrity Gossip Irish in US Politics Irish Festivals Irish Roots Irish Entertainment Offbeat Irish

Home Page > Blogs > News blogs > Periscope > An Irish American pope could be a real possibility - Boston’s Cardinal Sean O’Malley now a focus in top Italian circles

Periscope by Niall O'Dowd

An Irish American pope could be a real possibility - Boston’s Cardinal Sean O’Malley now a focus in top Italian circles

Posted on Monday, March 11, 2013 at 08:03 AM

Larger Text

E-mail

24 Comments

See more: Vatican

RSS

Archives

Boston Cardinal Sean O'Malley a real contender for head of the Catholic Church

The extraordinary possibility of an Irish American pope seems to be taking flight this week.

In a poll of experts by Corriere della Sera, Italy’s equivalent of The New York Times, Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley was the favored pick.

An online poll of readers also placed O’Malley in first place.

It is extraordinary that Italian experts and ordinary readers would be plumping for O’Malley given that the Italians owned the papacy for centuries and are very keen to have it back after a Polish and German incumbent.

But an American? That seems to upset the applecart in a profound manner.

Americans have never been taken seriously in the conclave, rather like at the UN where an American will never be Secretary General, the belief is that the world's main superpower has enough power without heading up other world organizations.

But O’Malley has struck a chord in Rome. He is a Franciscan, an order that Italians adore, he is humble, unlike so many of his pontificating would-be pontiff cardinals, and he has clean hands on the child abuse sex scandals.

All of which, in a conclave where experts say there is no outright favorite, makes him a real contender.

And he is not the only American. The New York Times published a lengthy positive piece on Cardinal Timothy Dolan contrasting his sunny demeanor and easy way with the press compared with that of many of his dreadfully dour colleagues.

Dolan certainly has a self-deprecating Irish humor that serves him very well and a manner and a presence and intellect that would take care of the communication issue, which bedeviled the retired pope.

Dolan still has murky issues with his handling of the pedophilia scandal in Milwaukee when he was Archbishop there, which may hurt his chances.

But if the conclave decides on the need for a new and more open papacy with an emphasis on spreading the message Dolan could fare very well.

I think that O’Malley may be the more serious candidate, however.

The first priority should be a pope who can clean house with a new broom after the scandal filled years.

O’Malley did that in Boston after the dreadful cover-up of pedophile priests orchestrated by Cardinal Bernard Law.

Could he do it in the Vatican?

A few weeks ago such a question would have been absurd.

Now it is definitely a possibility. See more: Vatican , Irish Catholic Church , Irish Catholic Priest

E-mail

24 comments

Next Page 1 of 2 pages

WoundedKnee | Mar 13, 2013, 03:56 PM EDT

Not much of a tipster, O'Dowd!

Report abuse

mreinhar2001 | Mar 12, 2013, 02:30 PM EDT

bob40will: Nice comment!

Report abuse

bob40wil | Mar 12, 2013, 12:09 PM EDT

Maybe it's time to de-Europeanise the pope for a few generations, where is it writen that they own Rome, just the thoughts of a non Catholic.

Report abuse

maryosullivan | Mar 12, 2013, 11:58 AM EDT

Regardless of his own proclivities who believes O'Malley was not aware of the events in Boston ?

Report abuse

Eschetic | Mar 11, 2013, 08:29 PM EDT

The idea of an American or Irish-American Pontiff is an interesting area for speculation during these few days when literally anything is possible, but if prayers are to be said, more than regional pride, mine will be for enlightened thought and neither taking the easy road to return power to the same old hands in the Curia or opting for a "Pastoral Pope" which in the past has meant ignoring the serious issues affecting the church for a calming influence who in practice will merely fall back on the discredited dogma of the past rather than finding ways to make core ideals work in a more modern setting.

Report abuse

MikeB74 | Mar 11, 2013, 05:52 PM EDT

I hope that Cardinal and New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan is the choice to be our next Pontiff. He seems open and outgoing. He spent several years I understand at The Vatican before returning here to America to become The Archbishop of Milwakee, Wisconsin and now New York City, New York. He was also Auxiliary Bishop of our home here of St. Louis, MO. Yes Cardinal Dolan is a St. Louis, MO. native just like me and yes that another reason I hope he is our next Pontiff. He also serves as President of The US Conference of Catholic Bishops as well. I believe these are just some of the qualifications that would make Cardinal Dolan are next Pontiff.

Report abuse

bambam1948 | Mar 11, 2013, 05:50 PM EDT

Robin Forester: The scandals had very little to do with homosexuality but rather pedophilia. I hope that you are not implying that all homosexuals are pedophiles and vice versa because they are not!

Report abuse

mreinhar2001 | Mar 11, 2013, 02:15 PM EDT

Hi Maureen Hawkins: The author was probably confused by the intial's behind Cardinal O'Malley's name (OFM Cap). When people with an awareness of what the initials of religious orders mean see OFM, they automatically think of Franciscans rather than delving into the history which separated Capuchins from Franciscans. Good call, there!

Report abuse

handsome68 | Mar 11, 2013, 02:12 PM EDT

I like The Commentator's comments best. Cardinal O'Malley does seem to be the best -- of the American lot, anyway. Again, I think Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster should get it, and be Co-Popes. Would restore the right kind of drama to the Church.

Report abuse

handsome68 | Mar 11, 2013, 01:01 PM EDT

The Catholic Church has always been an Italian ‘our thing’ organisation, and from its origins to the present day it has not lead the way in fighting poverty in the streets and slums of Italy, London, Poland, New York or South America. Its income is truly enormous but no beggar or widow will ever receive one penny of it. They can have prayers for their souls, but bread for their souls, no. I think it would be correct to say that the majority of priests drank wine whilst their congregants went without milk. Most people will overlook this, but they will not overlook the 101 recent church homosexual priests scandals, or the silence of the Pope when 6 millions innocents were killed by the Nazis, with many being taken away to concentration camps to be murdered in gas chambers. In every town and village in Europe where a death-dealing Nazi concentration camp was situated, a Catholic Church stood nearby, not once did they ever tear down the local death camp and attempt to destroy it with fire and release the prisoners. So much for the church’s action teaching?

Report abuse

harp579 | Mar 11, 2013, 12:24 PM EDT

An American pope with Irish ancestry would serve to weaken the chances of Americans with Irish-Catholic heritage for national political office in America (Martin O'Malley comes to mind). The moneyed interests in america and around the world may see it as in their interests to make it harder for an economic populist type American with Irish-Catholic heritage to win the Presidency. They may use their influence in various ways directly, thru big financial contributions and indirectly thru their tools in the corporate media, to get O'Malley or Dolan elected.

Report abuse

Maureen Hawkins | Mar 11, 2013, 12:15 PM EDT

Actually, Cardinal O'Malley is a Capuchin, not a Franciscan.

Report abuse

mreinhar2001 | Mar 11, 2013, 11:18 AM EDT

I know this site is all about promoting the Irish and the Irish diaspora and their descendants, and I think Cardinal Sean would do a fine job as pope, but i think that a Cardinal who might be able to help the world progress out of some of the current mess is Béchara Boutros RAÏ, O.M.M. from Lebanon. He is never mentioned as papbile, but perhaps he could do for Middle Eastern relations what John Paul II did in regards to communism.

Report abuse

crny925 | Mar 11, 2013, 11:17 AM EDT

In this PC world, we have to choose either an African Pope or one from South America.

Report abuse

pilib04 | Mar 11, 2013, 11:14 AM EDT

Hey Niall, did Irish Central skip the Mid Ulster results or did I somehow miss it? For those like me who missed the results from March 8, Sinn Fein's Francie Molloy topped the poll for Mid Ulster with 47% (17,462) against the combined UUP/DUP candidate with 12,781. The SDLP failed to play a spoiler role with 6,478. Molloy, an abstentionist candidate had the backing of his predecessor, Martin McGuinness. McGuinness resigned as part of Sinn Fein's implementation of its "No Double-Jobbing" programme.

Report abuse

Next Page 1 of 2 pages