PopeWatch: Guess the Next Pope

Cardinal Pacelli was pretty much a shoo in going into the 1939 Conclave as well.

My favorite question in my circles is always “when are we going to have a non-white Pope?” It’s a uniquely American-filtered question.

The irony is, the people asking that question are almost always liberal and would absolutely be horrified if, say, an African Cardinal were elected to the Chair of Peter. There would not be enough popcorn available to watch their reactions to his first encyclical or even his first Angelus.

I personally only played the Papabile game in 2005, because that was the first time I had ever observed the process (being born early in JPII’s pontificate). By 2013, I knew better than to waste my time speculating.

I have thought at times, perhaps it would be a boon to have a pope who was a near contemplative.
What wonders might come from a pontiff who spent most of his time talking to God, instead of to reporters, celebrities, bishops or even us.
Medieval men and women did quite well without a constant stream of messages from the pope.

Perhaps it would be a great boon to have a pastoral pope. One who spent significant time with the bishops of the world, not just of the curia. A shepherd who shepherds the shepherds. “No, I’m afraid I really have no time to meet Whoopi Goldberg. I’m reading up on the auxiliary bishop of Minneapolis for our lunch date.”

Not likely. But a king in a stable in occupied territory is my God, so I’m somewhat inclined toward the unlikely.

I’d be pleased if we had a Pope who limited his travel to the province of Rome, issued a sufficient number of documents to clean up the mess left by his predecessor (including restoration of the Latin Mass), issued a small number of documents to address truly novel issues, and otherwise limited his remarks to reflections on the day’s readings delivered during Mass. I’d also be pleased if he devoted meticulous attention to every episcopal vacancy, liquidated the Holy See’s stake in limited corporations, liquidated secular real estate outside the province of Rome (and inside the province, bar residences for priests and religious and the Holy See’s lay staff), deeded over to the local ordinary sacred architecture outside the province of Rome, distributed the Holy See’s abstract assets to accounts in an array of hard currency countries, and appointed boards of lay professionals to supervise those accounts and also to produce a general ledger according to proper principles of accounting. Supposedly, Piux Xii spent three hours a day in prayer. As a traditionalist priest of my acquaintance once said, devotion, not commotion.

“Being Secretary of State used to be regarded as a stepping stone to being Pope. Pacelli was regarded as being the intellectual power of the Pius XI pontificate.“

Certainly, Pius XI leaned heavily on Pacelli, particularly with the rise of Nazism. Who was the last pope prior to Pacelli rose to the Petrine office from Cardinal Secretary of State?

It is said the cardinals chose a new pope that is the opposite of the previous pope. Does Cardinal Burke have a chance?

If I had to pick the next pope (according to my own uneducated preferences), I would want Bishop Robert Barron. He is pastoral (like St. John Paul), well-educated, and a very clear and faithful teacher (like Pope Benedict). He is not afraid to challenge those who attack the Church, and he does so with charity. He is young and healthy enough to lead the Church with vigor. I realize chances are slim to none for an American who is not a Cardinal – especially a bishop who leads a rather minor diocese in Minnesota, but I personally think Bishop Barron would make an excellent pope.