There have been many articles written on the papabili. The following is one person’s own roundup of the papabili, with a link for each if readers want more information. The list comes from a highly informative weblog http://thepopeblog.blogspot.com which contains a vast amount of information and links to other sites plus free comments from readers. Please note that it is very likely the next pope will not come from the papabili. John Paul II himself never appeared on anyone’s list! As the old saying goes, “He who enters the conclave as pope, leaves it as a cardinal.”
Cláudio Cardinal Hummes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Cláudio Cardinal Hummes is the Archbishop of São Paulo and primate of Brazil. He was considered papabile following the death of Pope John Paul II. His Eminence Cláudio Cardinal Hummes, OFM (pronounced HOO-mez)was born on 8 August 1934 in Montenegro, Brazil, has been Archbishop of São Paulo since 1998, having previously been Archbishop of Fortaleza since 1996. He was ordained in the Franciscan Order on 3 August 1958 and holds a doctorate in philosophy from the Antonianum, Rome, and a specialization in ecumenism from the Ecumenical Institute of Bossey in Geneva, Switzerland. He taught philosophy at the Franciscan seminary in Garibaldi, at the major seminary of Viamão and at the Pontifical Catholic University of Porto Alegre. He was adviser for ecumenical affairs to the National Bishops’ Conference of Brazil, Provincial of Rio Grande do Sul (1972– 1975) and president of the Union of Latin American Conferences of Franciscans.
On 22 March 1975 he was appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Santo André and received his episcopal ordination on 25 May. He became Diocesan Bishop of the see on 29 December. On 29 May 1996 he was promoted to Archbishop of Fortaleza and was transferred to São Paulo on 15 April 1998.
He was created and proclaimed Cardinal by John Paul II in the Consistory of 21 February 2001. Titular church St. Anthony of Padua in Via Merulana.
Curial membership:
Divine Worship and Sacraments, Doctrine of the Faith, Bishops (congregations) Laity, Family, Cor Unum, Interreligious Dialogue, Culture (councils) Latin America (commission) X Ordinary Council of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops Council of Cardinals for the Study of Organizational and Economic Affairs of the Holy See
Judged to be a moderate, he has made strong statements in favour of social justice. He has been quoted as saying, “nationality isn’t the issue – the important thing is who can help the Church and the world, now and in the future.” He is also active on the issue of indigenous peoples and made an official statement condemning the anonymous attacks on homeless indigenous people. “Such violence and cruelty is unacceptable and should be vigorously repudiated. The Church has cried out many times regarding the need to come to the aid of those who are forced to live in our streets, without shelter. She does so out of a duty to humanity and because of her faith in Jesus Christ, who wishes to be identified in each person, especially the poor and handicapped,” the Cardinal said.
Francis Cardinal Arinze
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Francis Cardinal Arinze was one of the highest ranking officials of the Roman Curia under Pope John Paul II. Various world polls favour him as papabile
His Eminence Francis Cardinal Arinze was born on 1 November 1932. He is a leading cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and was Prefect of the Congregation of Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in the Roman Curia under Pope John Paul II. Arinze was one of the principal advisers to John Paul, and is widely considered to be a possible successor to the papacy, which would make him the first African pope in more than 1,500 years.
Early life: Francis Arinze was born in Eziowelle, Nigeria. He was baptised at the age of nine by the first Nigerian to be canonised, Michael Tansi. At the age of 15 he entered All Hallowa Seminary Ognissanti of Nuewi from which he graduated in 1950 and where he stayed on to teach until 1953. Arinze entered the Bigard Memorial Seminary in Enugu where he studied philosophy. In 1955, he went to Rome to study theology at the Pontifical Urban University. On 23 November 1958,, Arinze was formally ordained into the priesthood in the chapel of the university.
As priest: From 1961 to 1962, Arinze was professor of liturgy, logic and basic philosophy at Bigard Memorial Seminary. From there, he was appointed regional secretary for Catholic education for the eastern part of Nigeria. Eventually, Arinze was transferred to London, where he attended the Institute of Pedagogy and graduated in 1964. On 6 July 1965, Arinze was appointed to the titular church of Fissiana in Nigeria and named coadjutor to the Archbishop of Onitsha.
As archbishop: Cardinal Arinze has worked extensively in the United States. He presided over a dedication of the St Vincent Archabbey Basilica in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.It was as coadjutor that Father Arinze proved himself a highly intelligent and able leader. After considering his successes throughout his early pastoral career, Arinze was consecrated Bishop on 29 August 1965. Only two years later, he was asked to take over the pastoral government of the archdiocese and on 26 June 1967 was named Archbishop.
In 1979, Archbishop Arinze continued to rise in the ranks of the hierarchy. His peers elected him President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria where he served until 1984.
As cardinal: In 1985, Pope John Paul II asked him to become President of the Secretariat for Non-Christians. Today the organisation is called the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. Before assuming the position, Pope John Paul created him cardinal in a 25 May consistory. Cardinal Arinze served as president of the council until 1 October 2002.
World dignitary: His work on the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue thrust Cardinal Arinze him into the limelight worldwide. On 8 May 1994, he presided at the altar of the Chair of St Peter’s Basilica as President of the Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops. On 24 October 1999 he received a gold medallion from the International Council of Christians and Jews in recognition of his outstanding achievements in inter-faith relations. He travelled extensively and became a popular speaker in the United States, where he had many devotees of his pastoral leadership.
Cardinal Arinze became even more visible to the world community as a member of the Committee of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000. In that capacity, he worked closely with individual bishops and priests throughout the world in preparation for the rare celebration of the Church. Pope John Paul II was greatly impressed with his leadership and on 1 October 2002, he became Prefect of the Congregation of Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.
He is considered a conservative on issues related to gay rights, abortion, contraception, and the family.
Quotations: “In many parts of the world, the family is under siege. It is opposed by an anti-life mentality as is seen in contraception, abortion, infanticide and euthanasia. It is scorned and trivialised by pornography, desecrated by fornication and adultery, mocked by homosexuality, sabotaged by irregular unions and cut in two by divorce.”
Dionigi Cardinal Tettamanzi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
His Eminence Dionigi Cardinal Tettamanzi (born 14 March, 1934) is an Italian Cardinal who has been Archbishop of Milan since 2002. Previously he was Archbishop of Genoa.
Ordained a priest in 1957 in Milan by its then Archbishop, the future Pope Paul VI, he held various pastoral and teaching assignments until he was named Archbishop of Ancona in 1989 and was consecrated bishop. Only two years later he resigned from this archdiocese when he was chosen as secretary-general of the Italian Episcopal Conference. In 1995 he became Archbishop of Genoa and the Conference’s Vice President and was elevated to Cardinal in the consistory of 1998.
The book Passing the Keys: Modern Cardinals, Conclaves, and the Election of the Next Pope by Francis A. Burkle-Young, identified Tettamanzi as one of a handful of papabile cardinals, possible successors to Pope John Paul II. Developments following the book’s 1999 publication, including the death of one of the other candidates and the retirement of others, led Young to regard Tettamanzi as the likeliest choice. Others have also speculated on his papal chances, though this did not prevent new Cardinal Keith O’Brien of Scotland from jokingly referring to Tettamanzi in 2003 as a “wee fat guy”, being amused by the prospect of Tettamanzi as Pope. After the death of John Paul II his name was still being quoted by some bookmakers as a favourite to be the next Pope.
Godfried Cardinal Danneels
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Godfried Cardinal Danneels is the Roman Catholic Primate of Belgium and was considered papabile after the death of Pope John Paul II.
His Eminence Godfried Cardinal Danneels is the Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels and the chairman of the Belgian episcopal conference.
Born in Kanegem, West Flanders, on 4 June 1933, he entered the Grand Seminary of Bruges to become a priest. He was ordained in 1957. He studied Thomistic philosophy at the Higher Institute for Philosophy in Leuven and theology at the Gregorian University in Rome. After obtaining his doctorate in theology, he taught at the Bruges seminary and at the Catholic University of Leuven.
As a scholar, he carried out a profound study of the liturgy and articles he wrote for the Dictionary of the Liturgy have made him famous throughout the Catholic world.
He was actively involved in writing Sacrosanctum Concilium, a document which initiated the liturgic reform of the second Vatican Council.
In 1977, Danneels was nominated bishop of the Antwerp diocese by Pope Paul VI. Two years later, Pope John Paul II promoted him to archbishop of Belgium. He received the title of cardinal in 1983.
Cardinal Danneels has been a part of the permanent secretariat of the episcopal synod since 2001. He is also a member of the Roman Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and of the Congregation for the Clergy. Between 1990 and 1999, he was international chairman for Pax Christi.
His episcopal motto, Apparuit humanitas Dei nostri (Titus 3, 4), shows his attachment to a Christian humanism. He is seen as one of the leaders of the “reformist party” within the Church. For instance, he has said that, although abstinence is preferable, condoms are acceptable as a means of preventing AIDS. In an interview with the Dutch Catholic broadcaster RKK, he said: “When someone is HIV positive and his partner says ‘I want to have sexual relations with you’, he doesn’t have to do that, in my opinion. But, when he does, he has to use a condom, because otherwise he adds to a sin against the sixth commandment (thou shalt not commit adultery) another sin against the fifth (thou shalt not kill).” He added: “This boils down to protecting yourself in a preventive manner against disease or death. It cannot be entirely morally judged in the same manner as a pure method of birth control.”
Danneels favours a greater role for women in the Church. In a 2003 interview, he said: “Today the actual power structure in the Church is male, but it doesn’t have to be that way. It is just that government in the Church has long been closely linked with the priesthood. But I think that priest structure and power structure in principle don’t need to be one and the same. Both my vicars are women, and I see no reason why a woman should not head a Roman congregation.” However, Danneels never questioned the Vatican’s position on female priests.
Also in 2003, he gave his views on the future organisation of the Church in an interview with De Standaard, a Flemish newspaper: “The biggest challenge for the next pope will be to maintain unity in the phenomenal diversity of the Church. I don’t think a high degree of centralisation is still opportune. There was no such centralisation during the first thousand years of the Church’s existence. It developed during the second millennium, following political centralisation. At the beginning of the third millennium, this centralisation is no longer necessary – but what this means in practice, remains to be seen.”
Danneels has been tipped as a possible future pope (papabile). Although to some this seems mere speculation, his progressive image and his recent call for a debate on limiting the term of the papacy have not won him many friends in the Vatican. But history has shown a conclave often offers surprises. A moderate candidate, rather old, Cardinal Godfried Danneels could be a transition pope, who would soften the conservative image that John Paul II imposed on the Vatican. Some predict he would take a brand new stand on condom use, re-marriage and democratisation in the Church.
On his way to the plane that would fly him to Rome on 5 April, Danneels was asked what side he would represent at the conclave. “I am standing at the centre of the centre,” he answered.
Angelo Cardinal Scola
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
His Eminence Angelo Cardinal Scola is the Patriarch of Venice and a cardinal with the titular Church of the Twelve Apostles.
Scola is a noted academic, has authored numerous theological and pedagogical works on topics such as bio-medical ethics, theological anthropology, human sexuality and marriage and the family, which have been translated into several different languages. In addition, he is the author of more than 120 articles published in scholarly journals of philosophy and theology. He inaugurated the Studium Generale Marcianum, an academic institute, and the journal Oasis, published in Italian, English and Arabic as an outreach to Christians in the Muslim world.
In his pastoral capacity as bishop, Scola has paid particular attention to the issues of education, youth, clergy formation, renewal of parish life, pastoral care of workers, culture and the family.
Scola’s episcopal motto is Sufficit gratia tua (Your grace is sufficient, 2 Cor 12:9).
Óscar Andrés Cardinal Rodríguez
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
His Excellency Óscar Andrés Cardinal Rodríguez Maradiaga, SDB, is Cardinal in Honduras and Archibishop of Tegucigalpa.
Rodríguez was born on 29 December 1942 in Tegucigalpa. As a boy, he dreamed of playing the saxophone in a dance band or becoming a pilot. Instead, he entered the religious life. He joined the Pious Society of St. Francis de Sales (Salesians of Don Bosco) on 3 May 1961. He holds degrees in philosophy and theology and is trained in classical piano. Multilingual, he speaks English, French, Italian, German, and Portuguese in addition to his native Spanish.
He received a doctorate in theology at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome, and also holds a diploma in clinical psychology and psychotherapy from Leopold Franz University in Innsbruck, Austria. He graduated as a teacher in El Salvador in 1962. He then taught chemistry, physics, and music at Salesian colleges in El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala as a Salesian for the next 15 years. During this time he also became a professor of moral theology and ecclesiology at the Salesian Theological Institute in Guatemala.
He was ordained priest on 28 July 1970 in Guatemala City, and was named Bishop’s assistant in Tegucigalpa in the same year. He was Rector for three years at Guatemala’s Francisco Marroquin University from 1975. On 28 October 1978 he became Bishop, and on 8 January 1993 he became Archibishop of Tegucigalpa.
On 21 January 2001 he was made a Cardinal in a consistory titled “Our Lady of Hope” by Pope John Paul II. He was given the newly created presbyteral title of Cardinal Priest of Santa Maria della Speranza. He is the first cardinal from Honduras. Widely viewed as a moderate, he is considered a rising star in the Latin American church. His campaign for human rights and the poor have won widespread praise. Cardinal Rodríguez is further admired as a dynamic pastor who brokered peace accords with rebels and led rebuilding efforts after a natural disaster. He is an outspoken proponent for the cancellation of Third World debt.
In addition to his episcopal duties, he is currently President of the Episcopal Conference of Honduras. He is on a short list of cardinals who are considered papabile by Vatican observers.
Christoph Cardinal Schönborn
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
His Eminence Christoph Cardinal Schönborn OP (who would have been Count Christoph Maria Michael Hugo Damian Peter Adalbert von Schönborn if Austrian law on nobility were not in place), was born on 22 January 1945 at Skalka Castle west of Lovosice, in Bohemia, which is now in the Czech Republic. He has been Archbishop of Vienna since 1995. Schönborn succeeded Hans Hermann Groër.
Schönborn belongs to an old Central European noble family. Over the centuries, several members of his family have held high posts in the Catholic Church. In 1945, his family was forced to flee from Bohemia. Schönborn took his Matura exam in 1963, and studied theology and philosophy in Bornheim-Walberberg, Vienna, and Paris. He was ordained a Dominican priest by Cardinal Franz König on 27 December 1970 in Vienna, and later studied in Regensburg under Joseph Ratzinger. In 1975 he was appointed professor at Freiburg im Üechtland. In 1980, he became a member of the international theological commission of the Holy See, and in 1987 he became editorial secretary for the World Catechism.
He became a coadjutor of the Archbishop of Vienna on 11 April 1995 and Archbishop of Vienna on 14 September 1995.
He was created a cardinal by Pope John Paul II on 20 February 1998. Christoph Schönborn is often considered papabile.