Cardinal Francis George, Archbishop of Chicago, was recently elected president of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops. This has the potential to be a very big deal.
During the conclave of 2005, may Vatican insiders suggested that there were only three Cardinals that were truly qualified to be elected Pope. One of those Cardinals, Joseph Ratzinger, was elected Pope. The other two Cardinals were Cardinal George and Cardinal Martini, Archbishop Emeritus of Milan. Supposedly, Cardinal Martini received some votes in the conclave and may have been the only other candidate, other than Cardinal Ratzinger, to receive a fair number of votes. However, Cardinal Martini suffers from Parkinsons and will not receive any further consideration if a conclave takes place in the next few years.
Cardinal George is 71 years old - about the prime age to become a Pope. He speaks 6 languages and holds two doctorate degrees. He leads one of the largest and most influential archdioceses in the U.S. - an archdiocese that gives a ton of money to the Vatican. Given his election as president of the USCCB, his name will be in the headlines. He will likely take the lead in coordinating Pope Benedict's visit to the U.S. next year.
What does this mean? Cardinal George is now in position to be the United States prelate that has the best chance ever to become Pope. He will likely receive a fair number of votes if a conclave takes place in the next five years. However, huge obstacles to an American Pope remain. To many Vatican insiders, the U.S. is seen as a moral cesspool that those same insiders would like to jettison if it weren't for all of the money that comes to the Vatican from the U.S. Also, there is an increasing interest in the possibility of the next Pope being from Latin America, where a tremendous number of Catholics live.
Keep an eye on how Cardinal George does in this new leadership position. His performance could make the next conclave extremely interesting.
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