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The Conclave will begin on Tuesday. 

The Culture Wars: Benedictines versus the Bologna School

Governance: Reforming the Curia

Charisma: 

The New Evangelization: 

For the first time in recent memory, Africa offers four papabili to the Concalve: The Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Turkson, the Guinean Cardinal Robert Sarah, the South African Napier, and the Congolese Monsengwo Pasinya. The last African Pope was Gelasius I, from 492-496. 

Cardinal Robert Sarah is the most experienced of the group in dealing with Rome and the Vatican. Prefect of Cor Unum, the Vatican’s charitable agency, Cardinal Sarah is comfortable in both Africa and Rome. 

Today’s Il Stampa carries a fasciating article on a “papal ticket” (click here to read) consisting of Cardinal Odilo Scherer (São Paulo) for Pope with either Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, the Prefect of the Congregation for Clergy or Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, for Secretary of State. 

Cardinal Odilo Scherer – São PauloThe ticket is floated by two Curia heavyweights: Cardinals Angelo Sodano, the Dean of the College of Cardinals, and Giovanni Battista Re, Prefect Emeritus of the Congreation of Bishops). There are some indications that other Italian curial Cardinals are supporting this initiative. 

The article notes that this idea of “a ticket” has historical precedent. Apparently when John XXIII was elected a similar understanding developed. Regardless, the political calculus goes something like this: Scherer is a Latin American in the largest Catholic country in the world. This plays well on the world stage. Scherer worked at the Curia’s Congregation for Bishops from 1994-2001 for Cardinal Re. This suggests he is trusted by at least one fraction of the Curia. 

The critical question: if this ticket is floated by Sodano and Re, is there any chance at all that Scherer clean out the Curia? Is this a leader to move the Church (finally) from its fedual, monarachical structure to a vibrant institution capable of offering religious and moral value to members in the 21st century? To separate sacred tradition from institutional interests and power bases? 

Robert Mickens, a journalist for the UK Catholic rag The Tablet, gave a speech (click here to hear it on YouTube) on the coming implosion of the Curia and the implications for the Church. He is part of a growing body of criticism of the medieval structure, expressed today as clericalism, that lies at the root of problems presenting themselves as child abuse, bank scandals, etc. 

The problem with clericalism is that, like a tumor, it is difficult to excise without destorying its neighbors. There are many priests and religious, bishops and Cardinals, that work hard to serve the people of God. That does not change clericalism’s cancerous effects, and nowhere is this seen clearer than in the viscious, destructive and just plain evil machinations of the Curia. 

This is currently expressed in the undeclared war between Cardinals Angelo Sodano and Tarcisio Bertone

OK, Monday starts the General Congretation (pre-Conclave) meetings, so it is time to talk about the Papabili. What follows is my own top 5 followed by some comments. It also includes some links on public profiles of each of them. Enjoy – and please, add your lists!

1. Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle – Manila
2. Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz – Prefect: Congregatio pro Institutis Vitae Consecratae et Societatibus Vitae Apostolicae
3. Cardinal Robert Sarah – Prefect of Cor Unum
4. Cardinal Peter Turkson – Ghana
5. Cardinal Gianfranco Ravisi – Pontifical Council for Culture

John Allen pointed out in today’s NCR three truisms surrounding papal conclaves: 

* He who enters as a pope exits as a cardinal.
* You follow a fat pope with a thin one. 
* This is the most secretive process in the world.  

Actually, recent conclaves actually suggest favorites tend to be elected (4 out of the last 6) 

• 1939: favorite Eugenio Pacelli (Pius XII)
• 1958: surprise Angelo Roncalli, (John XXIII)
• 1963: favorite Giovanni Battista Montini (Paul VI)
• 1978 (I) favorite Albino Luciani (John Paul I)
• 1978 (II) surprise: Karol Wojtyla (John Paul II)
• 2005: favorite Joseph Ratzinger (Benedict XVI)

You follow a fat pope with a thin one

• Pius XII (thin) –> John XXIII (fat) –> Paul VI (thin) –> John Paul I (thin), –> John Paul II (fat) –> Benedict XVI (thin)
• If this is an analogy for a successor pope who will break with policies of predecessor, the contrary is more often suggested.

This is the most secretive process in the world

• Allen notes: “perhaps this is more honored in the breach than in the observance.” Enough said!

The General Congregations start shortly after the papacy becomes vacant (officially yesterday) and end when the Conclave is “locked.” This period is known either as the sede vacante or the interregnum. The Congregations are open to all Cardinals (those over as well as those under 80). The Congregations offer both time for reviewing conclave rules and a time for each Cardinal to speak to the other members of the College.

Cardinal Angelo SodanoThe Congregations will be moderated by the Dean of the College, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, who is over 80 and not eligible to vote in the Conclave.Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was the Dean of the College during the last Conclave and ended up being chosen as Pope. 

Today Cardinal Sodano announced the first one is scheduled for 9:30 in the Synod of Bishops Hall on Monday, March 4th. A second session (a slight departure from tadition) will be held on Monday afternoon. One of the first items for the Congregations’ review is the timetable for the actual Conclave. Part of the challenge of setting the actual start date for the Conclave is coordinating the arrival of all of the “voting” cardinals. 

Speculation continues on both the starting date (consensus favors an early date) and the length of time the Conclave will need to chose the next pope. The last time Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was chosen as Pope Benedict the Conclave lasted one day and a half. Speculation is that it will last longer this time but not too long, perhaps ending before Holy Week. 

The news media today published the story of Cardinal O’Brien of Scotland’s resignation as Archibishop. Moreover the Cardinal will not attend the Conclave (click here). The decision is a double-jolt to the Conclave. First, because the on-going scandal clearly toppled Cardinal O’Brien; secondly, because O’Brien will no longer vote in the Conclave; indeed, it appears Benedict will appoint a new Cardinal in the next two days who will be qualified to vote (!!).

Cardinal O’Brien and Cardinal Julius Darmaatmadja (Indonesia) both confirmed they will not participate in the Conclave. Cardinal Darmaatmadja cited his poor visison. 

The media sees all of this as “damage control.” Perhaps, but it also may well be “game on.” Actions speak louder than words in a Conclave, and many messages will be sent an studies over the days leading up to the Conclave. Of more interest is which group in the Vatican loses with Cardinal O’Brien’s departure…

Recent news items are clarifying the coming battle known as the Papal Conclave. In an event perhaps as rare as the Pope’s resignation, that Conclave battleground guards two prizes: one for the Soul of the Catholic Church, the other for its Power. The battle will therefore be extraordinarily complex with enormous consequences for what until now is one of the most important institutions in the world.  

The battle for the soul of the Church is part of an ongoing struggle moving Roman Catholicism from its terrible embrace of feudalism and its institutions to something new. The Church’s mission remains the same – bringing the good news of salvation to the world, but the instrument for doing this work, its culture and institutions, are under enormous pressure to change. Indeed many suggest if this Conclave does not deliver changes from a medieval European cultural norm to something that works in the 21st century this Conclave may mark the rapid decline and fall of the Church in modern times. Click here for an excerpt from an article published in Austra’s Die Furche on the subject. 

The battle for the Power of the Church, while not well understood outside of Church and State circles, is being played out on a far-more-public venue than anytime in the last millenium. In the age of Twitter there are growing exposures of a Curia characterized by cronyism, financial malfeasance, and sexual excess. 

One of the major focal points of this Conclave is the lack of wide spread acceptance of Benedict’s stated reason for resigning: his failing health. Dario Fo perhaps put it best when he noted:

It was the attrition in the Curia, Vatileaks and all the sharks who surrounded the Pope, spied on and betrayed him. Age certainly isn’t the only thing that burdens him.

So perhaps Machiavelli better understands the Pope’s resignation than Truthers searching yet again for another smoking gun. Like all institutions, at the center of any power struggle are groups with vested interests. In the Vatican, these reside in the Curia. 

The Roman Curia is the administrative body of the Holy See and the central governing body of the Church. Click here to see the current structure from the Vatican website. In general terms, the Curia is divided into various departments or congretations.

The power struggle suggested by Vatileak documents hints at several groups and implies croynism, financial impropriety, and corruption. They are intertwined and have conflicating and complementary interests. One group is referred to as “a network of gay prelates,” another group as “subject to external influences” (this probably refers to the Vatican Bank known as the Institute for Religious Works), and there are other groups and interests. 

Recent moves by Benedict (the appointment of a new director of the Vatican Bank and the transfer of an Under Secretary of State Msgr. Ettore Balestrero to Colombia) offer evidence of the intensity of the struggle. 

This raises the specter of a complex Conclave: one that faces the challenge of controlling the Curia’s power grabbing while also facing complex doctrinal and structural issues. Click here for more on this from Corriere del Ticino. Perhaps no recent conclave better fits Churchill’s dictum: “a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.”