Is the Church Ready for an American Pope?

[John21652]

I agree. Even us Catholics can be guilty of american elitism…

There are many great cardinals who would be a great successor (Dolan included) but I would like to see someone outside of Europe chosen. Africa or the Americas would be great.

I am deeply shocked. Mortified.

Not one of you has mentioned the Australian Cardinal George Pell.

Hand picked by JP II, he has reformed and is still reforming the Catholic Church in Australia. Dissenters are given short shrift. He has taken on the fight against moral relativism in a fine and typically Australian blunt style and is now a national celebrity.

If this bloke was Pope, the world would really sit up and take notice.

And you’d all know exactly where Australia was on the map.

 

[Bezant]

GRRRRR isn’t American hedgemony in the political and economic spheres ENOUGH? When will it end?

 

[HailHolyQueen90]

Sorry to burst everyone’s bubbles but…

Nationality and race doesn’t matter.

The Holy Spirit decides the Pope, not politics.

 

[LemonAndLime]

Sorry to burst everyone’s bubbles but…

Nationality and race doesn’t matter.

The Holy Spirit decides the Pope, not politics.

Apart from the Holy Spirit appears to select Popes from Italy more than anywhere else.

 

[ringil]

I do not believe an American Pope would be a good idea at all. I don’t see it happening either. Yes, the Holy Spirit does act through the College but the voters are still human and they vote with human sensibilities.

Americans have a peculiar way of looking at the world in general which wouldn’t be condusive in dealing with the universal church.

 

[mark_a]

I am hoping for an American to be Pope. I can only pray

An American Pope would be nice, but I hope for a Black African, Hispanic, or Chinese pope first.

 

[mark_a]

I agree. Even us Catholics can be guilty of american elitism…

There are many great cardinals who would be a great successor (Dolan included) but I would like to see someone outside of Europe chosen. Africa or the Americas would be great.

Yes, yes!!

 

[NewEnglandPriest]

An American Pope would be nice, but I hope for a Black African, Hispanic, or Chinese pope first.

A Chinese Pope would be interesting. Would China view that as an opportunity for rapprochement or as a provocative challenge?

 

[thequeen]

When the time comes the voting cardinals will allow the Holy Spirit to guide them as they always have in past papal elections. I do agree Cardinal Timothy Dolan has many good leadership qualities especially when it come to following the Magisterium of The Church.

 

[curlycool89]

A Chinese Pope would be interesting. Would China view that as an opportunity for rapprochement or as a provocative challenge?

It’s China. Whereas Americans (hopefully “use to”) see communists in their soup, the Chinese leadership sees challenges to their rule in their soup. They consider bloggers to be subversive.

I’m pretty sure a Chinese Pope would be seen as all-but declaring war. I think you’d see the Church completely suppressed in the PRC in that case.

I was just talking about this with my Godfather the other day: yes, it is possible, and in my opinion preferable for the Church, that we get an American Pope. IMHO, a South American Pope that is.

Or an African Pope, or perhaps a Filipino Pope. The point is it would be awesome to have a pontiff from a land where the faith is thriving instead of a member of the old boys club in Europe—and please understand I mean no disrespect at all to the Italians et al., I’m Italian myself. But, from a pragmatic ‘from the faithful’ point of view, it would be awesome for the laity of a devout Catholic country like Mexico or the Philippines to see one of their bishops take the helm of the Church, as opposed to say a European who comes from a country that is quickly loosing its Catholicism. Personally, I would love to see an African Pope, for it is in Africa especially that the Church provides a witness to the Gospel in the midst of real danger to the lives of the faithful. That is the kind of leadership we need, IMHO.

All that said, I’m content to leave it to the Holy Spirit .

I think that would actually be very good for us to have an African Pope.

 

[Dakota_Roberts]

It’s China. Whereas Americans (hopefully “use to”) see communists in their soup, the Chinese leadership sees challenges to their rule in their soup. They consider bloggers to be subversive.

I’m pretty sure a Chinese Pope would be seen as all-but declaring war. I think you’d see the Church completely suppressed in the PRC in that case.

I think that would actually be very good for us to have an African Pope.

The actual Church in China has been supressed, the allowed version of Catholicism is prevented from recognizing the Supreme Pontiff.

 

[Pfaffenhoffen]

An American Pope would be nice, but I hope for a Black African, Hispanic, or Chinese pope first.

Chinese or Russian.
The great countries.

 

[GraceDK]

In just a decade, Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York City, has risen from a local bishop to becoming a prince of the Catholic Church. He returned from Rome after receiving his cardinal’s red hat and ring, like a rock star; a bevy of cameras and lights in tow.

More…

Timothy Dolan?
Never heard of him
I hope for a good pope… nationality doesn’t matter… Our current Pope is so smart … we must hope the next one is even half as smart. Long live Pope Ben 16.

 

[curlycool89]

The actual Church in China has been supressed, the allowed version of Catholicism is prevented from recognizing the Supreme Pontiff.

I’m pretty sure if there were a Chinese Pope that they’d just shut down the “official” allowed Church too. Otherwise it would be too hard to convince the populous that the Pope is a “foreign power” that they needed to fear when he’s the same ethnicity and comes from the same country as them. They can get away with it with the Dali Llama because he’s Tibetan (and therefore “foreign”), but I think they’d have trouble with an ethnic Chinese person.

 

[Scott_Lafrance]

Almost all Popes have been Italian, so I his chances are very small.

Accept for the last two. I think the College has finally bucked tradition and no longer concern themselves with where the pope is from, but rather what he stands for.

 

[LemonAndLime]

Accept for the last two. I think the College has finally bucked tradition and no longer concern themselves with where the pope is from, but rather what he stands for.

Don’t be so sure. That takes several generations for it to happen, they’ll have to be a few more for me to be convinced.

 

[JRRTFAN]

In just a decade, Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York City, has risen from a local bishop to becoming a prince of the Catholic Church. He returned from Rome after receiving his cardinal’s red hat and ring, like a rock star; a bevy of cameras and lights in tow.

More…

It would make my decade, but Cardianl Dolan will never be Pope. The Europeans still control the vote and it is hard for the Holy Spirit to get through to Europeans.

 

[LemonAndLime]

It would make my decade, but Cardianl Dolan will never be Pope. The Europeans still control the vote and it is hard for the Holy Spirit to get through to Europeans.

What is that meant to mean at the end there?

Are you suggesting the Vatican and the members of the College of Cardinals find it hard to be “got through” to via the Holy Spirit? Are you suggesting that Europeans are unGodly whereas (I guess) the Spirit works easily through Americans?

 

[Scott_Lafrance]

What is that meant to mean at the end there?

Are you suggesting the Vatican and the members of the College of Cardinals find it hard to be “got through” to via the Holy Spirit? Are you suggesting that Europeans are unGodly whereas (I guess) the Spirit works easily through Americans?

I wouldn’t be making that assertion, that’s for sure.

 

[JRRTFAN]

What is that meant to mean at the end there?

Are you suggesting the Vatican and the members of the College of Cardinals find it hard to be “got through” to via the Holy Spirit? Are you suggesting that Europeans are unGodly whereas (I guess) the Spirit works easily through Americans?

What I’m suggesting is that Europeans want to keep the Church European. I’d be fine with a pope from any other continent just to shake that crowd up.