UNITED STATES
National Catholic Reporter
by Tom Gallagher | Feb. 14, 2013
Simply put, no U.S. cardinal has the chops to be the next pope, whether it’s due to depth of theological writings, expert managerial capability, the facility of languages, or a global presence, among other reasons.
My NCR colleague, John Allen, has done his level best to introduce into the mainstream media the notion that Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York and Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington, D.C., are contenders for the papacy at next month’s conclave. To be sure, Allen has as much, if not more, experience covering the Vatican as any U.S. journalist.
From CNN on Monday:
Wuerl is a top American contender for the papacy, according to Allen. Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York, could also be considered, but both Americans would be on the “C or D list” of candidates, Allen said.
With no disrespect to either of His Eminences, I respectfully disagree.
Let’s start with Cardinal Dolan.
His pluses include his happiness as a priest and his desire to use the media to advance his goals on behalf of the church. After an introverted pope, the thinking goes, the universal church needs an extroverted pope. With Cardinal Dolan, one gets an extrovert.
But upon review, what do we really know about Cardinal Dolan?
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