| Written by Maria Elena Salinas |
| Monday, October 20 2003 |
| |
| The rumors about Pope John Paul II death have been greatly exaggerated. Of course, what Mark Twain was referring to when he coined that phrase was rumors of his own passing. But the fact is that rumors abound about the Pontiff's ailing condition and it is not an exaggeration to say that his passing is drawing near, and that his successor could very well be from Latin America.
The Pontiff is a man of strong will. He proved his resilience in the past weeks, with an unbreakable determination to keep his commitments in spite of his physical pain and suffering. But in the middle of it all it has become inevitable to speculate on who the next Pope will be.
Several lists have been published around the world of men who might fit the mold of a 21st Century Pope, and most lists include the names of Latin American Cardinals. Who the 135 members of the College of Cardinals will elect depends on many factors, especially which direction they want the Catholic Church to go.
According to Marco Politti, a biographer of John Paul II, if the Cardinals decide they want to go through a democratization of the Church in which the Bishops together with the Pope would decide on a new direction, they might elect an Italian Pope, an insider who could serve as a mediator. Karol Wojtila was the first non Italian elected as Pope in 456 years.
However if the Cardinals should decide they want a continuation of the conservative and international scope John Paul has given the Church, then they could very well elect another European, an African or a Latin American Pope. Here's who in Latin America and why.
There are 27 Cardinals from Latin America eligible for he post, but just a handful have made the lists. They are: Norberto Rivera from Mexico ordained at age 24, he became Cardinal in 1998. Cardinal Rivera among other things was professor of ecclesiology at the Pontifical University of Mexico. Mexico is also a country that Pope John Paul holds near to his heart. He's traveled there 5 times, the last one canonizing the Indian Juan Diego. And he declared the Virgin of Guadalupe patron of the Americas.
Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez is one of the newest Cardinals and also a newcomer to the lists of possible successors. He is the first Cardinal from Honduras, only the second in Central America, and he is known for his relentless work in favor of the poor and underdeveloped countries.
The other Latin American on the list is one of the Pope's right hand men. Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos of Colombia currently presides over the Congregation of the Clergy. He is considered a strong and respected leader within the Vatican.
I had a close encounter with Cardinal Castrillon about 10 years ago. During an interview in Mexico City I asked him if he was a possible successor of the Pope, to which he answered with a firm voice and eyes closed, "There is nothing else I would like more than to have Pope John Paul II be the one to cry over my tomb". The interview ended abruptly.
It would make sense to have a Latin American Pope. Over 400 million Catholics live in Latin America, almost half of all the Catholics in the world. Brazil and Mexico have the highest catholic population worldwide. One third of all Catholics in the United States are Hispanics. A Latin American Pontiff would walk the same steps as John Paul II, understanding the problems of the third world. It would also help to counter some of he evangelical movement in the region that have taken away so many followers from the Catholic Church. |
