Should Cardinal O’Malley Become Pope?
The conclave starts tomorrow, and Boston’s Cardinal Séan O’Malley has emerged as a possibility to be elected the new leader of the Catholic Church.
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With the papal conclave to choose the next Pope beginning Tuesday, speculation has grown over the past weeks that one of Boston’s own could become the Catholic Church’s new leader.
Cardinal Séan O’Malley could become the new pontiff following Pope Benedict XVI’s Feb. 11 resignation, according to the National Catholic Reporter.
Though it is less likely an American would be elected, it’s not impossible, and O’Malley has as good a chance as any Western papal candidate, according to the Reporter.
O’Malley, 68, has been lauded for his efforts in the wake of the church’s sex abuse crisis. However, the Reporter points to O’Malley’s wilting in 2004 while the Archdiocese of Boston suffered parish closings, which have indirectly lead to realignment.
O’Malley is highly regarded in the Catholic Church, but there has never been an American pope. Should it be O’Malley? Leave your opinion in the comments.
Charlie Schnapps
1:39 pm on Monday, March 11, 2013
No. Neither should anyone else because the whole thing is a farce.
HollistonGuy
3:46 pm on Monday, March 11, 2013
Amen, brother.
Mary Jane Scholz
8:07 pm on Monday, March 11, 2013
He would be perfect due to his humility and honesty. He is much loved but he would never accept the job.
tim mueller
9:01 pm on Monday, March 11, 2013
Cardinal O'Malley has done good things for the Atchdiocese in Boston. There had been a lot of pain and suffering done by men of the cloth over the years, and the Church has done worse by hiding these monsters. These men, and I use the term loosely, have given the American Catholic Church a black eye. That said, although he would be a good choice, the Church is a political organization as much as a religious one, and will bend to the African continent, as the fastest growing Catholic population. I forsee a black Pope.
Mickey Catten
9:10 pm on Monday, March 11, 2013
The Church will choose the next Pope based not on the ability to lead Catholic's as much as the ability to help the Church heal from the child sex abuse scandals. As a Monk, Cardinal O'Malley would be a good man to lead the Church, but he is not the political animal they require, as evidenced by the realignment of the Archdiocese and his inability to stop the Vatican from tearing apart neighborhood churches.
Tippy Doodle
12:24 pm on Tuesday, March 12, 2013
well maybe if omalley gets in he will have the opportunity to stop the Vatican from closing down neighborhood parishes.....
Mary Jane Scholz
12:44 pm on Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Though it is tragic to close churches it has become a financial necessity. The church is the people and not the building. We need to hang together. I am prepared for our parish to close. Right now we have joined another parish with no issues. I have enjoyed meeting new people on the same page.
Tippy Doodle
6:57 pm on Tuesday, March 12, 2013
The Roman Catholic Church is one of the wealthiest institutions on earth. She is a greater possessor of material riches than any other single institution, corporation, bank, giant trust, government or state of the whole globe. Just how rich is subject to speculation. The closing of the churches is not so much a financial burden, but a decline in priestly vocations.
Mary Jane Scholz
7:42 pm on Tuesday, March 12, 2013
The churches that have very few parishoners cannot afford to keep the parish going. And there are many out there in the USA. We are booming in Africa though.
Tippy Doodle
8:55 pm on Tuesday, March 12, 2013
I wont even bother to state the obvious reasons why people have stopped going to church. It is disheartening.
Mary Jane Scholz
9:27 pm on Tuesday, March 12, 2013
I'm not going anywhere. i didn't do anything so awful. I worship God, not people. The sacraments are there for me and I want them regardless of the actions of a few. Sin is everywhere. Should children stop going to school because of all the molestation THERE? Should we close down Penn State? Not to mention the evil in Washington. Should we leave our country or stay and fix it? I think the evil some priests did is an excuse for some to not worship and/or commit. We, the people, the church, will endure. No one will stop me from following Christ. Who else is there to follow? Hollywood? The media? I take my marching orders from the New Testament. Works great for me and my family.
Natalia Maher
1:23 pm on Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Amen Mary Jane!!!
HollistonGuy
1:51 pm on Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Mary Jane I commend you on your faith and commitment, but you ask "Who else is there to follow?" Why do you feel the need to follow anyone or thing? You sound like a decent person, why not lead instead of follow? This country/world needs more decent people, like yourself, leading. The need to follow is borderline cultish and is what turns many people off of religion.
Mary Jane Scholz
4:14 pm on Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Jesus knows more than I. I believe totally in what he preached and in fact I do lead. I have led my family well. All are wonderful people married to wonderful people. I am sorry the Eucharist turns people off. l will try to lead even more people to it! That is what makes me a decent person with decent children/grandchildren.