Will Cardinal O’Malley Become Pope?
The conclave is tomorrow, and Boston’s Cardinal Sean O’Malley has emerged as a possibility to be elected the new leader of the Catholic Church.
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With the papal conclave to choose the next Pope beginning Tuesday, speculation has grown over the past weeks that one of Boston’s own could become the Catholic Church’s new leader.
Cardinal Sean O’Malley could become the new pontiff following Pope Benedict XVI’s Feb. 11 resignation, according to the National Catholic Reporter.
Though it is less likely an American would be elected, it’s not impossible, and O’Malley has as good a chance as any Western papal candidate, according to the Reporter.
O’Malley, 68, has been lauded for his efforts in the wake of the church’s sex abuse crisis. However, the Reporter points to O’Malley’s wilting in 2004 while the Archdiocese of Boston suffered parish closings, which have indirectly lead to realignment.
O’Malley is highly regarded in the Catholic Church, but there has never been an American pope.
Should it be O’Malley? Leave your opinion in the comments.
Dennis Naughton
12:24 pm on Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Won't matter. The Church is hopelessly out of touch.
Ken B.
10:06 pm on Tuesday, March 12, 2013
It certainly mattered when Karol Józef Wojtyła was elected Pope in 1978.
Trip to Poland in 1979, Solidarity born in 1980, iron curtain falls in 1989.
I'm thinking a whole lot of people are free today, due in part to the Church's choice back then.
It can't happen again ? Don't you libs preach being open-min...oh never mind, forgot that libs don't have to practice what they preach.
Justin Braga
4:11 pm on Tuesday, March 12, 2013
I have been blessed to call Cardinal Sean my bishop my entire life. I grew up in the Diocese of Fall River and then became involved in a parish in the Archdiocese of Boston around the same time that he was assigned the lead the archdiocese. I've had the opportunity to hear him and speak to him on many different occasions, even once having the opportunity to dine with him. He, in my humble opinion, is just the kind of person the Church needs at this point in time. He is a Franciscan priest who you'll typically see in his simple brown robes and sandals and who opted not to live in the lavish cardinal's residence. He has dealt strongly with the clergy sexual abuse. He is tech-savvy and maintains a weekly blog. He is multi-cultural and is fluent in several languages. These are just a few of the reasons why I think he's a great man for the job. But then again, I'm not one of the guys in the Sistine Chapel right now. I am confident that the Holy Spirit will guide the cardinal-electors in their election.
Jerry Chase
4:11 pm on Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Dennis is the pot calling the crow black.
deb of see-attleboro
5:15 pm on Tuesday, March 12, 2013
OR...
"Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye but fail to notice the beam that is in your own eye?"
Emcee of Seekonk
5:15 pm on Tuesday, March 12, 2013
I think highly of Cardinal O'Malley, but maybe a Pope from the Spanish community would be a better choice since they seem to be the most faithful Catholics at this point.
domenic stagno
5:15 pm on Tuesday, March 12, 2013
I think that Cardinal O'Malley would be an excellent choice. I don't think he has done enough in certain areas, but he has the rare quality of Humility, which you don't see very often in the hierarchy. He definitely cares about poor people and speaks six languages He has worked with the latino population in this country and in central America.
Unfortunately, I don't think that the powers in the church are willing to let go of the stranglehold that they have on Catholics and i fear that they will keep their heads in the sand and elect someone like Cardinal Odilo Scherer, the archbishop of Sao Paulo, Brazil. This would give the appearnace of reaching out to Latin America but in reality he is a friend of the Curia and believes in keeping the staus quo.
Gretchen Robinson
10:06 pm on Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Funny, how no one mentions a possible pope from Africa or Asia. I wonder if the Euro-Catholic hierarchy would vote for an African pope? Seems like a stretch to me, esp. when they chose a Polish and then a German-- each time it was a big step.
An African pope would only address one problem in the church, its euro-centricity. There are so many other impediments to the Roman Catholic Church, particularly the clergy sexual abuse crisis, which hit every continent, (Australia, Canada, etc.).
The church has lost all moral authority in so many issues that by now, most Catholics in the USA rely on their own moral authority. Yet it keeps on scapegoating gays and trying to outlaw not just abortion but birth control(!) for everyone in this country. It will never thrive again in the US with positions like this.
We all know of two thing that need to happen, admit women to the priesthood, and allow priests to marry. . But I'm not holding my breath. Are you?