Qualities for next Pope – Cardinals

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WITH Joseph Raifzenger out of the Vatican as the Head of the Catholic Church, the focus is now on who becomes the next Pope and the qualities he should possess.

Cardinal Daniel DiNardo,  Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston Chancery in HoustonCardinal Daniel DiNardo is among the 117 electors who will choose the new pope. According to him, “the first requirement for a new pope is that he fulfills the Office of Peter in the church, which is to be the visible sign of unity in the church, and, second, he’s got to be the rock. Jesus said to Peter in Matthew’s Gospel, “Peter, you are a rock, and on this rock I will build my church.”

Therefore he should be a great source of teaching and that stable leadership that we expect from the See of Peter. That’s the overarching thing. To my mind in the 21st century, one of the things all the popes have emphasized in the last 30 years is that the church just doesn’t have a mission; the church is mission.

You would want the pope to have this vision of mission that we spread throughout the world. Of course, if you’re going to spread the message you have to be in good shape.

­ Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney says New Pope should ‘pull it together’

Australia’s most senior Catholic criticised Pope Benedict XVI, saying his retirement sets a worrying precedent. In his first interview since the Pope announced he would step down, Cardinal George Pell voiced concerns about the decision. “People who, for example, might disagree with a future pope will mount a campaign to get him to resign,” he told the Seven Network on Wednesday.

He described Pope Benedict as a “brilliant teacher”, but noted that “government wasn’t his strongest point”. “He’s got to know his theology, but I think I prefer somebody who can lead the church and pull it together a bit,” he said. Cardinal Pell, 71, travelled to the Vatican late last week to join the 116 other cardinals, aged under 80, who will form the conclave at the Sistine Chapel.Oceania region

He will be the only cardinal from the Oceania region to vote at the conclave and he is one of just 50 attending the vote who also helped select Benedict XVI during the 2005 conclave. He told Seven he was “highly unlikely” to be in line for a promotion, although he did not rule it out. “It could happen – I’m Catholic, I’m a bishop, I’m a cardinal,” he said.

Cardinal Francisco Ossa, former Archbishop of Santiago says Next Pope likely to be young

A cardinal from Chile who will be participating in the general meetings leading up to the conclave said that the next Pope will most likely be relatively young. “One of the external characteristics that the Church needs is for a person not very advanced in age to be chosen and this is very probable,” said Cardinal Francisco Javier Errázuriz Ossa, former archbishop of Santiago.

The 80-year-old cardinal, who has taken part in previous conclaves, arrived yesterday in Rome to participate in the general meetings of the College of Cardinals. Although his age prohibits him from voting, he will meet with other cardinals to discuss possible papal candidates and to determine the exact date of the conclave.

“There is a huge difference between a conclave and choosing a country’s prime minister or a president. There are always electoral pacts, parties and candidates involved, but not in this process.”

 Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor: Next pope ‘ll fearless

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor,  leader of the Catholic church in England and Wales.

“As you know, there have been troubles in recent years and scandals, and these have to be addressed,” he said. “The pope’s own house has to be put in order.” “There is no doubt in my mind that there has to be reform and that these issues have to be addressed at the highest level, not only by the pope but by the bishops and I think that will be one of the main things the cardinals will be discussing,” he said.

“I think the Pope will be as every other Pope has, particularly Pope Benedict, understanding that the fundamental teaching on sexuality is concentrated on marriage, on family life.

“I think that the Church would be wise actually to focus on that in her teaching, rather than saying ‘we condemn this, we condemn that, or the other’. No –  focus on what’s good and what’s true.” The cardinal also said the new pope would need to be a strong and fearless leader.

“When a new pope is elected he will know very well what the cardinals have discussed because he will have been part of the discussions,” he said. “I think the new pope will go with a very clear message and I’m sure the new pope will also be appointed with a view to a man who’s capable of government … capable of the kind of reform and renewal that’s needed in the church at the present time.”

He added: “There have been difficulties, there have been scandals and they’ve got to be addressed because otherwise there’s no doubt – and it’s something that saddens me deeply – that not just the image of the church but the effectiveness of the church … is also affected.”

Chicago Cardinal Francis George says he wants an insider

“You’re talking about governance here. People say sanctity. Well, sanctity is nice, but there have been popes who have governed fairly well who have not been holy… What’s important here is governance. Can the man govern the church as a pastor? He has to be a man who knows the Lord because he’s governing in his name. But it doesn’t mean he’s going to be a great saint.”
The comment about sainthood is curious, suggesting Cardinal George may favour an insider, or someone who is at least familiar with the inner workings of the Vatican.

George also said he would consider how much time and experience a cardinal has at the Vatican as another criteria for preference. He mentioned the relationships that cardinals form while working as integral to effective governance.

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