VATICAN CITY
Vatican Insider
In the absence of a clear favourite for the papacy, kingmakers will play a decisive role in influencing the result of the vote. In the 2013 Conclave these figures could be Kasper and Bergoglio
Giorgio Bernardelli
MILAN
As is usually the case when a Conclave is just around the corner, the shortlist of potential successors to the papacy has started doing the rounds. But there is another important role within the assembly of cardinals called to elect the new Pope: that of the so-called kingmakers – in other words those individuals who because of their experience and authority and not their alliances – are more able than others to influence the election result.
The kingmaker’s role is key, particularly when complex circumstances surround the choice of a new Pope, as in the case of Pope Ratzinger’s unprecedented and unexpected resignation. Many in recent days have been comparing the current situation with the second Conclave of 1978 which was convened after the unexpected death of Pope Luciani and led to the appointment of Karol Wojtyla. This was one of the circumstances in which the kingmaker’s precise role filtered out of the Holy See: it is widely recognised that the then Archbishop of Vienna, Cardinal Franz König – who was 73 at the time – was responsible for putting the Archbishop of Cracow’s name forward. He did so when there was a voting deadlock because a section of the College which were against Giuseppe Siri being appointed were preventing him from reaching the required quorum.
So the question is, if cardinals enter the Sistine Chapel without a clear favourite (as Joseph Ratzinger was eight years ago) who could the kingmaker cardinals of the 2013 Conclave be? This question is even harder to answer than the one about the potential candidates for the papacy. Unlike the other list, it tends to favour figures who are automatically discarded as potential new Popes because they exceed the acceptable age limit.
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