When Pope Benedict named Cardinal Marc Ouellet of Quebec City last summer to one of the most crucial jobs in the Vatican, he was praised among Catholics for selecting a man of such high quality, international experience and great sense of the universal Church. The position Cardinal Ouellet was given, considered by many as only second in importance to the papacy itself, was overseeing the selection of the next generation of bishops.Now, as the Church begins to think of the day when it will be time to pick a successor to Pope Benedict, Cardinal Ouellet's name has come up again -in dramatic fashion. In a story this week by John Allen, considered one of the best analysts of the inner workings of the Vatican, he proposed three men who "are at least among the most commonly cited possibilities" to take over from Benedict should the need arise.
"Ouellet is currently the Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, a powerful position, which should burnish his credentials as someone who could take control of the machinery of the Vatican," wrote Mr. Allen, who is based in Rome for the highly influential National Catholic Reporter. "A veteran seminary professor and theologian, he's a Ratzingerian intellectually, coming out of the same [spiritual mould] as the Pontiff himself.
Many see Cardinal Ouellet as having the right balance of skills to lead a Church in need of a dynamic leader. One Vatican insider, who did not wish to speak for attribution, pointed out Cardinal Ouellet's strengths:
- He is one of the finest churchmen in the world and Pope Benedict honoured him as such by giving him centre stage.
- The cardinals have been reluctant to cross the Atlantic for a new pope, but Ouellet may transcend that problem: He has enormous experience working and teaching in Latin America, where half the Catholics in the world live.
- He has been a long time friend of Pope Benedict and was part of the papal "kitchen cabinet" even before last year's appointment.
- His outgoing personality might be a benefit for a Church that still misses John Paul II's charisma.
The other two men noted in Mr. Allen's article were Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi of Italy, who has the intellect of Benedict "with the optimism and opening to the world of Pope John XXIII," and Cardinal Leonardo Sandri of Argentina, who is considered a "consummate Vatican insider who would likely be at the top of many lists if the most serious perceived need at the time is a set of safe hands who can govern the church effectively."
He also noted Cardinal Ouellet's linguist abilities -fluency in French, English, Spanish, Portuguese, German and Italian - make him qualified to lead a world Church.
Sources include
http://www.nationalpost.com/todays-paper/Quebec+Cardinal+could+next+pope+analyst/4729021/story.html
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