WHEN John Paul II, the first non-Italian pontiff since 1523,
was elected in 1978 it was seen as a sign that the church was belatedly
making good its claim to be catholic, or universal.
Italians were
unconvinced; some called the reign of the former Karol Wojtyla the
“Polish exception”.
But when a German was named to succeed him, it
seemed even to many Italians that their grip on the papacy had been
broken.
On October 20th Pope Benedict XVI seemed to assuage Italian gloom.
He announced the names of 24 new cardinals, including 20 below the age
of 80 who will thus get the right to vote in a papal election. Eight of
the cardinal-electors are from Italy.
Once they receive their red hats
on November 20th, some 25 of the 120 voting cardinals will be Italians;
it looks highly possible that one of them will be chosen to succeed the
83-year-old Benedict.
That may have advantages: John Paul neglected the papal
administration, the Curia, which badly needs modernising.
Benedict has
tried twice to simplify the Curia but been thwarted each time. A local
with a feeling for Italian culture might outwit the foot-draggers.
Still, Benedict’s appointments look anachronistic. Only seven of
his new cardinals come from Latin America, Africa or Asia.
Between them,
according to the church’s own data, those regions account for some
two-thirds of baptised Catholics.
The new men will at least be electors,
though. And one, Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya, from Congo, has been called
papabile, a potential pope.
But while elevating some Italians from rather modest roles, Benedict
passed over the Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro who cares for more than
3.5m souls.
In the United States, too, this week’s news may cause
confusion. The two new American cardinals are at opposite ends of a
spectrum: Raymond Burke called for pro-abortion politicians to be denied
communion while Donald Wuerl rejected that line.
In ignoring some important prelates, Benedict has kept to the
unwritten rule that diocesan archbishops do not become cardinals if
their predecessors are still voting red-hats.
That norm dished the hopes
of English Catholics that their archbishop, Vincent Nichols, would get a
cardinal’s hat after the successful papal visit to Britain.
Benedict
did not get where he is today by bending rules.
SIC: TE/INT'L