78 year old Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany is being touted as the next Pope. The dean of the College of Cardinals is slowly emerging as a consensus candidate to succeed the late Pope, John Paul II.
Ratzinger was reportedly "morally close" to the late pope. Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, the former archbishop of Milan is also in the running for the Catholic Church's top job.
However a church official revealed that these names were just for the first round of voting and could change over the course of the conclave, which is slated to begin on next Monday. "Ratzinger is looking strong but it's still far from clear who will emerge and how the voting will go," the official said requesting anonymity.
Italian newspapers are of the opinion that Ratzinger has already garnered the support of 40-50 cardinals in private pre-conclave meetings this week. But Ratzinger is seen as an ultra-conservative in some ways. The other German cardinals, Karl Lehmann of Mainz and Vatican-based Walter Kasper, are reportedly against his election for the top post.
His candidacy could be questionable since he has released a book titled "Values in Times of Upheaval" technically breaking the self-imposed 'media silence.' Excerpts from the book reveal a hardliner, his critics claim. The book has some thought provoking lines like, "Europe needs to accept itself anew, if it is to survive. In the hour of its greatest success, Europe seems to have become empty inside, paralyzed by a life-threatening crisis to its health and dependent on transplants," Ratzinger wrote probably referring to the deluge of immigrants in Europe.
To win the election outright a minimum of 77 out of 115 votes is needed. The cardinals favor a short conclave, as they want to display unity among themselves. If Ratzinger cannot get a consensus, he probably will propose another candidate.
Meanwhile, Pope John Paul II's tomb was thrown open to the public. Thousands of pilgrims flocked to the tomb. The Vatican is not allowing flowers to be placed on the tomb, as they fear it will be too voluminous to handle.
