Go here to read the story. Bottom line is that Pope Francis has quite a few enemies in any Conclave that occurs within the next year. At age 87 for Pope Francis it is obvious that this papacy is likely in its end phase. We shall see.
PopeWatch: After Pope Francis
Donald R. McClarey
Cradle Catholic. Active in the pro-life movement since 1973. Father of three, one in Heaven, and happily married for 41 years. Small town lawyer and amateur historian. Former president of the board of directors of the local crisis pregnancy center for a decade.
If the present make up of the College of Cardinals is any indication, the next pope will be Francis II or worse.
Proverbs 14:14-18
For those who feel assured that this college of cardinals must produce a Francis II.
Matthew 1
Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith to him: We have found him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets did write, Jesus the son of Joseph of Nazareth. And Nathanael said to him: Can any thing of good come from Nazareth?
Sometimes good and even great things come from unexpected places.
End phase, muy bueno.
Only God knows the hearts of the cardinal electors. I have said before, here as well as in other blogs and in live conversations, that it’s a mistake for anyone to assume that all those cardinals “from the peripheries” appointed by Francis will automatically vote for a Francis II. I’ve seen arguments from some traditionally oriented commentators that Francis is not very popular in Asia, Africa, or even much of Latin America, and the prelates from those places know this, with some openly in agreement. Also worthy of note is that the Sankt Gallen cabal who got Bergoglio elected in 2013 reportedly thought they had gotten it done in 2005, as well. It has never been a predictable process. Maybe a Francis II will emerge, or maybe a Pius XIII, or maybe something in between. We shall see.
What percentage of the guys Francis stuffed the College of Cardinals are from the peripheries?
Interesting speculation, I suppose. I shouldn’t get too concerned til the Vatican announces that Pope Francis has received Last Rites. I recall his predecessor of holy memory, St John Paul II, lived for several years with Parkinson’s, among other problems. I haven’t heard anything indicating that Francis is close to letting go of this mortal coil.