The cardinal said he hoped to be able to introduce a new pope who, like Pope Benedict XVI, knows how to teach the Catholic faith to others.
“Christians must be able to give a reason for their faith with knowledge of the contents of this faith,” the cardinal said.
“He must also be a pope very open to dialogue with cultures and religions.”
Cardinal Justin Rigali, 77, the former archbishop of Philadelphia, told Knoxnews.com Feb. 25, “Nobody has all of the qualities... so they have to find someone who has the most important ones.”
For Rigali, these include communication, media and language skills to “get his message to the people,” an ability to connect with different kinds of people and the strength to “confront all the issues that affect humanity,” including issues of social justice and the defense of human life, the cardinal said.
Cardinal Christoph Schonborn of Vienna told the magazine Profil that the next pope must have the same “basic requirements” Pope Benedict had, particularly the “strength of faith, which enables him to distinguish between the pillars of Catholic doctrine and mere decoration” so that Catholic doctrine remains authentic.
If Catholics believe the Church teaches what Christ Himself taught and that His teaching brings salvation, no pope can change thatteaching without doing serious harm, even if it might make the pope more popular, said the 68-year-old cardinal.
At the same time, he said, “in today’s media world, the pope is the most visible preacher of the faith” and will have a “key role in determining whether people are inspired” by the path the Church indicates as the way to friendship with God and ultimately to salvation.
Cardinal George Pell of Sydney, speaking to The Australian newspaper Feb. 23, said that in the upcoming conclave he probably would support “not necessarily the most holy person, but the person best equipped for the job,” regardless of nationality.
The Australian wrote, however, “if that person happens to be from the U.S., Pell believes he would be unlikely to be elected. The reluctance to appoint a pope from the prevailing superpower, he says, dates to the 14th century, when a series of seven popes resided at Avignon in southeastern France, which was then a superpower.”
At a Feb. 11 news conference, Cardinal Francis George of Chicago said that when they begin meeting, the cardinals will discuss all sorts of questions, including whether it may be time to look outside Europe for a candidate. However, he said: “Usually they raise questions first of all in terms of personality: Who can govern the Church? Who can teach? Who can sanctify? These are the functions of the papacy, so it matters less where a person is from than whether or not he is capable of being the successor of Peter.”
The cardinal, who voted in the 2005 conclave that elected Pope Benedict, said the general congregations or meetings before the conclave are not political rallies with nominations, but discussions.
“Until you take the first ballot, you don’t know who has strength and who has not,” he said.
