PITTSBURGH (PA)
Tribune-Review
By Tribune-Review Staff
Italian media is describing Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington as the “pope-maker” of this week’s conclave that elected the first non-European pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church.
Wuerl, 72, a Pittsburgh native and the city’s bishop for 18 years before being named Washington’s cardinal in 2006, could not be reached for comment. The reports about Wuerl’s role in the conclave could not be independently confirmed by the Tribune-Review.
La Repubblica, Italy’s largest-circulation daily newspaper, reported Friday that Wuerl led a coalition of American cardinals and those from other countries in supporting the candidacy of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 76, of Argentina.
Bergoglio was elected the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church on Wednesday and took the name of Francis.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.