Pope Benedict XVI, Joseph Ratzinger, quit. Rumours about the new "Papa" from March: (also in Russia they say he will be) an Italian one, Bagnasco, Bertone, or Scola (usually those who were also Venezia cardinals become a Pope, like Roncalli and Luciani).
Angelo Scola, born near Milan (Lecco lake), current archbishop of Milano.Other candidates: Francis Arinze (Nigeria, cannot be elected 'cause he just turned 80 years old), Peter Turkson (Ghana, as Balotelli origins, but Mario has never been to Africa), Christoph Schoenborn (Austria), Timothy Dolan (New York), Jorge Mario Bergoglio (Argentina), Marc Ouellet (Québec), Odilo Pedro Scherer (Brazil).
Three expert Vatican watchers list some of their leading "papabile" — Italian word for cardinals who might be elected as the next pope:
1) Cardinal Angelo Scola, archbishop of Milan, leads Church historian Matthew Bunson's list as "an Italian with the intellectual chops for the job" who would bring Benedict's enthusiasm for "recapturing Catholic excitement."
Benedict moved him from another high-profile post, Venice, in July 2011, thereby giving this Vatican insider a perch at the WORLD's largest diocese, Milan (more than 1100 churches). Milano and Venezia together have produced five popes in the last 100 years.
A top scholar on Islam and Christian-Muslim dialog, Scola, 71, is "well positioned for dealing with the challenges of secularism and materialism in the West," says Bunson.
Scola once said: "Our job now has to be to help people to remember God. People suffer from a kind of amnesia about God and we have to remind them to reawaken God in their hearts and in their minds."
more to add soon
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