Last Updated:Friday - 09/24/2010

Pope surprises the Church

Pope John Paul continues to surprise the Church. His recent decision to bring the number of cardinals who may vote in a conclave up to 135 is an intriguing one. Given that Domus Santae Marthae, the new residence where the conclave will be held, can only accommodate 120 cardinals, it would seem that the pope expects to live for at least another two years when, by natural attrition, the number of cardinal electors will drop to that level. Well, long live the pope!

However, one issue is whether the limit of 120 cardinal electors is fading away and that in the not-too-distant future we may see 150 or more cardinal electors. Even with the 40 cardinal electors the pope will install this month, many potential cardinals from important dioceses will not be given the red hat. Given that cardinals now do more than vote on the next pope - this pope has called them in several times for consultation - it might well be advisable to expand the College of Cardinals still further to reflect the globalization of the papacy.

The makeup of the college has changed considerably in recent decades. At the death of Pope John XXIII in 1963, the college was comprised of 35 per cent Italians and 37 per cent members of the Curia, the Vatican administration (with considerable overlap between the two). Although Pope John Paul has temporarily boosted the Curia representation, if a conclave is held two years from now, the 120 cardinals in the college will be 15 per cent Italian and 24 per cent members of the Curia (with little overlap).

Both the college and the Curia have been internationalized and cardinals aged 80 and over no longer get to vote. Those changes were first seen in the two 1978 conclaves that ended with the election of Pope John Paul II, the first non-Italian pope in 450 years. Further, due to the 1996 change in conclave rules, the possibility now exists of a pope being elected on a majority vote rather than on the traditional two-thirds plus one. After 33 ballots, the cardinals can decide to elect a pope based on 50 per cent of the votes plus one.

No conclave in the last 170 years has endured that long. But the new rule at least raises the possibility that the cardinals may decide to forego the path of compromise and allow the largest faction to choose the pope.

The very length and spiritual force of the current pontificate has also changed the situation. Men who only a couple years ago were being touted as leading papabili now appear to be out of the running because of their advancing age. The last two consistories (times when new cardinals were installed), however, have added names such as Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne (Peru), Giovanni Battista Re (Italy), Walter Kasper (Germany), Christoph Schonborn (Austria) and Dionigi Tettamanzi (Italy) to the list of those to be seriously considered.

As well, Pope John Paul has changed the nature of the papacy, through his extensive travels, his ecumenical commitment and his moral force, which was a significant factor in the collapse of Soviet bloc communism. He has not only created big shoes for his successor, he has changed the nature of the job. Another new cardinal, Avery Dulles, recently wrote, "Although (Pope John Paul) abstains from partisan politics, no pope since the Middle Ages - or perhaps in all history - has been such a major actor on the world stage."

The next conclave will be expected to choose a pontiff who is not only a superb pastor and administrator but also a force to be reckoned with on the global stage. This is a tall order. We will pray for the wisdom of the Holy Spirit to guide the cardinals. But we also hope to see as much human wisdom present with as many corners of the globe represented as possible.

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