ROME
Wall Street Journal
By LIAM MOLONEY And GIADA ZAMPANO
ROME—The sudden nature of Pope Benedict XVI’s departure could affect the profile of his successor, in part because voting cardinals will have little time to strategize about who the next pontiff should be.
A speedy decision is likely to favor a compromise figure that is similar to Pope Benedict: a traditionalist in doctrine, but open to building bridges between the Vatican and the modern world, Vatican experts said.
The cardinals will look for “someone who has a combination of theological stances, but who also best addresses where we are seeing the church going today,” said Francesco Cesareo, president of Assumption College in Worcester, Mass.
The Papal conclave—the secretive meeting of Roman Catholic cardinals to elect a new pope—is expected to start shortly after the end of this month, when the 85-year-old pontiff said he would step down.
A main question facing the conclave is about style. The cardinals will likely debate whether to select a low-key gradualist or someone who is going to govern with grand gestures, such as Pope Benedict’s predecessor John Paul II.
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