An Irish American pope could be a real possibility - Boston’s Cardinal Sean O’Malley now a focus in top Italian circles
By: Niall O'Dowd | Published Monday, March 11, 2013, 9:32 AM | Updated Monday, March 11, 2013, 9:32 AM
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| 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.
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.WoundedKnee | Mar 13, 2013, 03:56 PM EDT
Not much of a tipster, O'Dowd!
mreinhar2001 | Mar 12, 2013, 02:30 PM EDT
bob40will: Nice comment!
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.
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 ?
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.
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.
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!
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!
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.
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?
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.
Maureen Hawkins | Mar 11, 2013, 12:15 PM EDT
Actually, Cardinal O'Malley is a Capuchin, not a Franciscan.
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.
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.
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.
stanchaz | Mar 11, 2013, 10:57 AM EDT
Dear ole Dolan may be a good "communicator "...but it's WHAT he communicates that's the problem.
PhlutiePhan | Mar 11, 2013, 10:51 AM EDT
"BostonCatholicInsider" has severe reservations against the way that Cardinal O'Malley has been running the Boston Archdiocese. You have to remember that the trouble in Boston started with AB Humberto Medeiros who sent chaplains into the gay community which backfired. Law was brought in to "fight a fire" in the known way of handling the problem at that time which included forgiveness and rehabilitation. It didn't work. Law was removed and the classmate of AB Charles Chaput was brought in. He then removed all of the priests and nuns at the Chancery and replaced them with 17 laity including non Catholics with salaries of 150K . If he would do that in the Vatican, where would he get the multi million dollar salaries?
pilib04 | Mar 11, 2013, 10:39 AM EDT
My prediction (guess) is that any non-curia candidate who is currently getting media attention is doomed. That seems to be consistent with past papal elections. I am thinking that the Curia will never let an Irish-Anything be elected this time around due to the whole pedophile scandal. Irish Cardinals whether in Ireland or simply from Ireland are off the table as far as the Curia is concerned. People suggesting otherwise, simply have no concept of the history involved. Scandals are not embraced by the Conclave. Think shunned. If you have an Irish surname, you will not be the next pope. That is why every time you hear an Irish surname mentioned, you start hearing about Brazilians, Filipinos, Nigerians and Ghanaians. A Euro Pope is quite possible but he won't be Irish. Too bad, because O'Malley seems to have high reviews here at Irish Central.
donal1951 | Mar 11, 2013, 10:28 AM EDT
As a former Bostonian, I too am impressed with Cardinal O'Malley and his simple Franciscan life. I also agree with McNamara 31 that the next pope should quickly elevate Dr Diarmuid Martin, archbishop of Dublin, to the rank of cardinal. Were Dr Martin a cardinal now, I would favour him for pope.
donal1951 | Mar 11, 2013, 10:04 AM EDT
It would be wonderful if O'Malley became Pope and excommunicated Dolan and Law for a start. They could be followed by other Cardinals, Bishops, priests and church hierarchy who have participated in, protected or remained silent in the thousands and thousands of child molestation occurrences. Next would be the criminals involved with the Vatican bank. This is just wishful thinking. There are so many involved in these activities that it is doubtful the church could run with those who would remain. There would be a lot of job openings.
antoman | Mar 11, 2013, 09:49 AM EDT
An American Pope? Chewing bubble gum while saying Mass and throwing Hershey bars from the Pope mobile? I think not. My money is on a Pope from one of the colony countries. Africa and south America.
McNamara31 | Mar 11, 2013, 09:29 AM EDT
If anyone has witness the spiritual collateral damage left after decades of abuse in Cardinal Law's Boston, its Cardinal Sean O’Malley, who was sent in to clean up. I firmly believe we need a man with his integrity and faith, verses Cardinal Dolan who is just one more self serving politician like the ilk of those who got the church into the disastrous situation.If elected, I hope one of his first actions would be to elevate Bishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin to Cardinal. And then continue to elect men of faith as cardinals rather than the political appointment's that oversaw decades of abuse.Then I believe the Vatican would be making its first steps to restore a trust that has been damaged so deeply if this papacy doesn't act, it will simply be too late.
Joeindallas | Mar 11, 2013, 09:28 AM EDT
Met Sean as a Victim of Clergy abuse, Would be a great choice, that is from a Recovering Catholic
thetint | Mar 11, 2013, 08:07 AM EDT
Ha ha. You couldn't make that up if you tried. It will be an Italian.