The profile of an ideal candidate for pope is beginning to come into focus as cardinals have their say — many would prefer a relatively youthful, pastoral figure who can help foster spiritual renewal, particularly among young people.
“When John Paul II died in 2005, everyone had been thinking about a successor for months and the conclave was short,” a retired cardinal told AFP.
“This time the unprecedented move of a pope resigning has upset all the calculations,” he said, adding that he believed a “bold decision” like the unexpected election of Poland’s Karol Wojtyla in 1978 is a distinct possibility.
Among the leading candidates this time around are Italian cardinal Angelo Scola, a big promoter of inter-religious dialogue, and Austria’s Christoph Schoenborn, a former student of Benedict’s with strong progressive ideas.
US cardinal Sean O’Malley, who cracked down on the problem of sexual abuse in the Boston archdiocese where the scandals began to emerge, and Timothy Dolan, the gregarious archbishop of New York, are also seen as possibilities.
Canadian Quebecois cardinal Marc Ouellet, a conservative with ties to Latin America, is also highly rated.
For Latin America — home to most of the world’s Catholics — Brazilian cardinal and Sao Paulo archbishop Odilo Scherer is seen as a favourite.
In Africa, Ghana’s Peter Turkson, Guinea’s Robert Sarah and South Africa’s Wilfrid Napier, the archbishop of Duran, are also seen as possibilities.
For Asia, the most frequently mentioned candidate is Manila archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle, a 55-year-old theologian and pastor who is hugely popular.
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