Could Cardinal Dolan Become Pope?
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- He was just named a cardinal, but could Timothy Dolan one day be named Pope? WCBS 880's Rich Lamb posed that question to Vatican expert John Allen.
Allen cautioned that "historically there has kind of been a taboo against a superpower Pope, that is electing a Pope from one of the global super powers, and that probably still is in play."
LISTEN: WCBS 880's Rich Lamb reports
Podcast
That tradition lowers the chances of Dolan becoming the first American elected to the Chair of Peter.
"I mean, if you can get past the fact that he is an American, he has virtually everything that people have traditionally looked for in a Pope," Allen added.
As evidence, Allen cited the time Dolan spent in Rome as a student and as rector of the North American College, as well as the cordial relationship he has with his soon-to-be fellow cardinals.
"He has a lot of direct pastoral experience running complex archdiocese both in Milwaukee and in New York. He can play on a big public state. He has serious credentials with a Ph.D in Church History," Allen said.
Being an American is still a serious impediment, but he's pretty much got the package you would expect in a serious papal candidate.
Please leave a comment below...
