# Next pope? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 30, 2004, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-pope/271983 "2004-10-30T04:37:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Snaggletooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Snaggletooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snaggletooth)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2004, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-pope/271983/1 "2004-10-30T04:37:06Z")
What are the thoughts out there of who is going to be the next pope. Geography ethnicity, politicaly…what’s the current criteria that the next pope should have. I’m not a christian but I do find the politics of the vatican amusing. Seems to me that someone with close muslim ties. ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2004, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-pope/271983/2 "2004-10-30T05:51:35Z")
> [@Snaggletooth](#): > > What are the thoughts out there of who is going to be the next pope. Geography ethnicity, politicaly…what’s the current criteria that the next pope should have. I’m not a christian but I do find the politics of the vatican amusing. Seems to me that someone with close muslim ties. Well , the last one was polish , so obviously the safe bet is going to be Italian. It will really depend on how much longer JP duece can hang on for , I think the safe money is going to be on a tried and true pope , rather than a radical or a liberal pope. Interesting times , if an american is nominated. Declan ---
**Author:** ![Brandus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@Brandus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brandus)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2004, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-pope/271983/3 "2004-10-30T06:15:54Z")
I think it’d be more interesting if he were Jewish. ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2004, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-pope/271983/4 "2004-10-30T06:35:18Z")
I checked the sport book I use, as they had, just recently, odds on the next Pope. Now the politics odds are all Bush/kerry and individual states, etc. IIRC, the leading favorite was a cardinal or bishop from Italy, with a close second going to a guy from somewhere in Africa. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2004, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-pope/271983/5 "2004-10-30T06:39:49Z")
> [@Brandus](#): > > I think it’d be more interesting if he were Jewish. Well…The cardinal Lustiger, who used to be a “papabile” (I think he’s too old, now), is a converted Jew. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2004, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-pope/271983/6 "2004-10-30T07:04:55Z")
Well, one thing’s for sure - it won’t be the FedEx Pope. People HATE him. ---
**Author:** ![Estilicon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/848f3c/32.png) [@Estilicon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Estilicon)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2004, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-pope/271983/7 "2004-10-30T13:48:12Z")
The next Pope will be a Latin American. After all most of the catholics live here. Every few months the newspapers run an story about the possible future pope, I recall hearing as candidate the archbishop of Tegucigalpa and of mexico city. A few months ago an italian magazine, “l’expresso”, ran article that said “Bergoglio in pole position”. It was refering to Cardinal [Jorge Mario Begoglio](http://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/documentazione/documents/cardinali_biografie/cardinali_bio_bergoglio_jm_en.html) Archbishop of Buenos Aires.- ---
**Author:** ![Zagadka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zagadka/32/7272_2.png) [@Zagadka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zagadka)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2004, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-pope/271983/8 "2004-10-30T14:40:38Z")
I would be absolutely giddy about a Latin American pope… the possibilities… oh, man, just thinking about it gets me all excited… Ain’t gonna happen for a while though. :-p ---
**Author:** ![JMS\_CCT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbe5ce/32.png) [@JMS\_CCT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JMS_CCT)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2004, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-pope/271983/9 "2004-10-30T14:56:24Z")
> [@Brandus](#): > > I think it’d be more interesting if he were Jewish. The anti-christ will be of Jewish descent. ---
**Author:** ![Snaggletooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Snaggletooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snaggletooth)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2004, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-pope/271983/10 "2004-10-30T15:18:10Z")
> [@JMS@CCT](#): > > The anti-christ will be of Jewish descent. Wow people like you do exist. Considering Jews don’t believe in heaven/hell. Wow do you also belong to the flat earth society? Or area you an everyday anti-Semite. I know I know the Holocaust never happen right? People like this should be hung drawn and quartered! AH HA! :wally 😃 ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2004, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-pope/271983/11 "2004-10-30T16:19:21Z")
> [@Brandus](#): > > I think it’d be more interesting if he were Jewish. And what was St. Peter? ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2004, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-pope/271983/12 "2004-10-30T16:41:48Z")
I think an African or Latin American Pope is a definite possibility. Those quarters already outnumber the European Catholics, and are quite conservative to boot, as opposed to those secular commies in Europe and North America. This matches the current bent of the Vatican. In any event, he’ll be old. This will be (intended to be) a short papacy, after JPII’s long one. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2004, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-pope/271983/13 "2004-10-30T16:47:57Z")
> [@Menocchio](#): > > I think an African or Latin American Pope is a definite possibility. Those quarters already outnumber the European Catholics, and are quite conservative to boot, as opposed to those secular commies in Europe and North America. This matches the current bent of the Vatican. > > In any event, he’ll be old. This will be (intended to be) a short papacy, after JPII’s long one. The conservatism is what I have heard to be a selling point for Cardinal Francis Arinze of Nigeria. He’s also around 70 years old, so likely would not last for 26 years, though you never know. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2004, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-pope/271983/14 "2004-10-30T17:06:11Z")
> [@Menocchio](#): > > I think an African or Latin American Pope is a definite possibility. Those quarters already outnumber the European Catholics, and are quite conservative to boot, as opposed to those secular commies in Europe and North America. This matches the current bent of the Vatican. > > In any event, he’ll be old. This will be (intended to be) a short papacy, after JPII’s long one. Yeah, but I hope they remember what they got the last time they chose an old cardinal in the hopes his reign would be short… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2004, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-pope/271983/15 "2004-10-30T17:10:08Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Yeah, but I hope they remember what they got the last time they chose an old cardinal in the hopes his reign would be short… > > 😉 I thought he was a goner when I heard he’d chosen John Paul I as his name. You can’t be a I until there’s a II! I figured II would be along soon enough. Seriously, that’s how my brain worked back then. ---
**Author:** ![t-keela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a3d4f5/32.png) [@t-keela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-keela)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2004, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-pope/271983/16 "2004-10-30T17:20:42Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > Well…The cardinal Lustiger, who used to be a “papabile” (I think he’s too old, now), is a converted Jew. I see **clair** beat me to it. I’ve been following the Archbishop of Notredame in Paris for a few years now. As far as I know he’s still the top contender for the job. He’s had the pope’s ear for years and yes his parents were Jewish and died in WW2 in a camp. He lived with a catholic family in hiding as a child and even changed his name from Aaron to Jean Pierre. He still claims that he is Jewish and has been praised for his efforts to bring Israel and Rome together on political issues. As far as being too old…I’m gonna have to check on that but I don’t think so. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2004, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-pope/271983/17 "2004-10-30T17:28:28Z")
> [@t-keela](#): > > I see **clair** beat me to it. I’ve been following the Archbishop of Notredame in Paris for a few years now. As far as I know he’s still the top contender for the job. > He’s had the pope’s ear for years and yes his parents were Jewish and died in WW2 in a camp. He lived with a catholic family in hiding as a child and even changed his name from Aaron to Jean Pierre. > He still claims that he is Jewish and has been praised for his efforts to bring Israel and Rome together on political issues. > As far as being too old…I’m gonna have to check on that but I don’t think so. Ooh, that would be priceless! A French Jew as pope! What cognitive dissonance for patriotic American Catholics! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![t-keela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a3d4f5/32.png) [@t-keela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-keela)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2004, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-pope/271983/18 "2004-10-30T17:31:37Z")
> [@Estilicon](#): > > The next Pope will be a Latin American. After all most of the catholics live here. .- Really? I’m not disagreeing with you but would you have any figures backing up that statement. Latin-America vs. “the rest of the world” as in MOST of the Catholics live here. Perhaps, I know most Latin Americans are probably Catholic but I don’t know if the population is large enough to support that statement. Either way I think a pope from the New World might be a good thing. I believe George Bush has a cousin that’s Catholic… 😃 Jeb Bush is in Florida and has a large hispanic following…how about him? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2004, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-pope/271983/19 "2004-10-30T17:35:54Z")
> [@Snaggletooth](#): > > People like this should be hung drawn and quartered! AH HA! :wally **Moderator’s Note:** **Snaggletooth** , don’t post personal attacks in this forum. ---
**Author:** ![t-keela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a3d4f5/32.png) [@t-keela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-keela)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2004, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-pope/271983/20 "2004-10-30T17:40:40Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Ooh, that would be priceless! A French Jew as pope! What cognitive dissonance for patriotic American Catholics! 😛 I’m not antisemitic or a nazi hunter… I support Israel and my wife was Catholic, okay. But there’s just something about a “german” jew, being pope, claiming he is still Jewish yet is Catholic and supports Israel while living in France and speaks publicly in opposition to terrorism…and on and on…sounds like a true politician at heart. He seems to be an outstanding person AND very well could be a unifying force in the world. Then again he might be the anti/christ… 😉 I know this is G/D and the previous was IMHO mixed with a little fact and supposition. That’s is all it was. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-pope/271983.md?page=2)