Cardinal Angelo Scola of Venice has indicated that he does not wish
to be considered as a replacement for the outgoing Archbishop of Milan,
according to a report in the Italian daily La Repubblica.
Cardinal Scola has been considered the leading candidate to replace
Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi, who is expected to step down soon at the
age of 77.
The Milan archdiocese is the largest in Europe, and
Vatican-watchers have been engaged in lively speculation about the
Pope’s choice to replace Cardinal Tettamanzi.
An official announcement
is expected before the end of June.
Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, the president of the Pontifical Council for
Culture, has also been mentioned as a possibility for the Milan post.
But some acquaintances say that he, too, would prefer to continue in his
current work.
If both Cardinal Scola and Cardinal Ravasi are removed from the list of
likely candidates, there would be no clear favorite for the appointment
to the prestigious Milan see - whose 20th-century leaders included
Archbishops Ambrogio Ratti (later Pope Pius XI) and Giovanni Montini
(Paul VI).
However, the final choice will be made by Pope Benedict XVI - who may persuade a reluctant prelate to take the assignment.