There are several reports that the United States of America President, Mr. Donald Trump is working for one of the US cardinals to become the next leader of the global Catholic Church.
They are among 10 American cardinals who will vote to elect the next Pope.
Experts say it’s unlikely the cardinals would choose an American to be pope.
Following the death of Pope Francis, 135 cardinals will vote in a conclave to elect the next leader of the global Catholic Church. …CONTINUE READING
It’s among America’s swingiest states politically. So it’s perhaps unsurprising that the Wisconsin cardinals’ ideologies run the gamut from conservative to progressive. Two — cardinals Raymond Burke and Joseph Tobin — have been in the mix as contenders for the next pope. But experts say it’s unlikely the conclave would choose an American to be pope because it’s never happened before, and they may want to avoid someone with a U.S.-centric perspective.
Still, trying to predict who is in the running to succeed Pope Francis is relentless right now, so all four are worth a look.
The conclave will be made up of slightly more than half of the College of Cardinals. That’s because of the 252 members in the college, only those under 80 years old can vote in the highly secretive selection of the pope. About 80% of the electors were appointed by Francis, and they’re more diverse than in the past — there are fewer cardinals from Italy, for instance, and more from Africa, Asia and South America.
Three of the four cardinals with Wisconsin ties participated in the conclave to elect Francis, and the fourth, Tobin, was appointed by Francis.
Francis’ funeral is set for April 26. The election of the new pope must begin between 15 and 20 days after his death.
Four rounds of balloting are taken every day until a candidate receives two-thirds of the vote. If, after a voting round, no one receives two-thirds of the vote, ballots are burned in a stove with a mixture of chemicals to produce black smoke, a sign that tells those outside that the voting process will continue.
Once a cardinal receives the two-thirds vote and accepts his election, the ballots will be burned with chemicals producing white smoke, signaling to the outside world that a new pope has been chosen.
Raymond L. Burke
Burke, 76, had been an outspoken critic of Francis. He is seen as a leader in the traditionalist wing of the church, having publicly challenged Francis on LGBTQ issues, communion for divorced individuals, and other questions of church doctrine. He voiced concern that the Synod on Synodality, a three-year process of discussion on church issues, would foster “confusion, error and division.” He is known to wear elaborate vestments and opposes restrictions on the traditional Latin Mass.
The pope demoted Burke from a powerful position to a largely ceremonial one and later reportedly threatened to evict him from his Vatican apartment.
Born in Richland Center, Burke earned a doctorate in canon law in Rome. He was associate rector at St. Joseph the Workman Cathedral in La Crosse and taught religion at Aquinas High School.
In 1995, he became the bishop of the Diocese of La Crosse. He led the Archdiocese of St. Louis 2004 to 2008 before his appointment to various positions at the Vatican. He was made a cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI.
Timothy M. Dolan
Dolan, 75, is one of the United States’ most prominent Catholic leaders as the current archbishop of New York.
Born in St. Louis, Dolan has a reputation as a jovial, charismatic, media-savvy figure with conservative views. He was the archbishop of Milwaukee from 2002 to 2009 before being installed in New York. He also led the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops for three years.
In Milwaukee, Dolan succeeded Archbishop Rembert Weakland, who had resigned amid sex abuse scandals, and the legacy of the controversy lingered throughout Dolan’s tenure. He was appointed to the College of Cardinals by Pope Benedict XVI.
“Despite his general popularity, Dolan’s chances of becoming pope have been considered slim, partly due to the concern that an American pope might upset the global balance of power,” reads Dolan’s biography on The College of Cardinals Report website.
James M. Harvey
Harvey, 75, was born in Milwaukee and studied at St. Francis Seminary and later in Rome. He leads one of Rome’s four major basilicas as archpriest of the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.
Harvey has held various administrative positions at the Vatican, including as head of the papal household for 24 years. A butler in the household during Harvey’s tenure was convicted of stealing and leaking documents. And Harvey was one of many Catholic clergy who accepted cash gifts from disgraced former cardinal Theodore McCarrick.
“It never occurred to me that this would be in some way improper,” Harvey told the Washington Post, who first reported on the cash handouts. Harvey said he had received several monetary gifts from bishops as thanks for arranging papal visits.
According to The College of Cardinals Report, Harvey is known for having conservative views but rarely speaks publicly, so his opinions on issues are “largely unknown.” He was a trusted confidant of both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, who made him a cardinal, the site said.
Joseph W. Tobin
Tobin, 72, the archbishop of Newark, has been a well-known ally of Pope Francis — and is a weightlifter and a recovering alcoholic. He holds progressive views on the inclusion of LGBTQ people and women in the church and is an advocate for undocumented immigrants. He has spoken out against President Donald Trump’s policies.
He was born in Detroit as the oldest of 13 children. He went to high school seminary in Edgerton, Wisconsin, at St. Joseph’s Preparatory College and earned a bachelor’s degree at Holy Redeemer College in Waterford, Wisconsin, in the 1970s. Both institutions in southern Wisconsin have since closed. Tobin is a member of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, a religious order known as the Redemptorists, which ran both schools.
Tobin was a pastor in Detroit and Chicago, then led the Redemptorists as superior general, and after a short stint at the Vatican, he was appointed archbishop of Indianapolis in 2012. In 2016, he was installed in Newark and Francis made him a cardinal. Reuters reported Tobin was praised for his handling of the fallout from the McCarrick abuse revelations in Newark.
“It’s unlikely the world’s cardinals would pick the first ever U.S. pope, but if they were up for that, Tobin would seem the likeliest possibility,” Reuters reported.
FACT-CHECK reveals that it is not true that the American President Donald Trump influenced any US cardinal as the next leader of the global Catholic Church
