Who will be the next pope?

[Anonymous]

*edit* So much money is being wasted on christo-nationalist nonsense and siphoned away FROM the real needs of the Church - leaking roofs, broken boilers, etc.

[Anonymous]

The fear is that the next Pope will be more conservative, as a kind of pendulum swing.

Now African cardinals are indeed conservative.

But racism being what it is, I think you'll need to wait a long time (when you're well and truly dust) before someone from Africa ascends to the Papacy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a strong feeling, and it may just be the pastrami I ate recently, but I think the next pope will be from Africa.

There certainly are good candidates from Africa, or even Brazil.

There is a black madonna, why not a bro’ pope?

I think the next pope will be from Africa. Doesn't make them a bro'.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The seminarians worldwide are much more conservative than in times past (I have my theories).

Please elaborate. I read this recently and wondered why.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The seminarians worldwide are much more conservative than in times past (I have my theories).

Please elaborate. I read this recently and wondered why.

Most guys want to get married. The ones who commit to a celibate life are a bit off for one reason or another. We also had 25 years of very conservative popes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The fear is that the next Pope will be more conservative, as a kind of pendulum swing.

Now African cardinals are indeed conservative.

But racism being what it is, I think you'll need to wait a long time (when you're well and truly dust) before someone from Africa ascends to the Papacy.

Not everyone in Africa is black.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The fear is that the next Pope will be more conservative, as a kind of pendulum swing.

Now African cardinals are indeed conservative.

But racism being what it is, I think you'll need to wait a long time (when you're well and truly dust) before someone from Africa ascends to the Papacy.

Not everyone in Africa is black.

Not everyone is Africa is Catholic.

[Anonymous]

Great story on the impact of Pope Francis on younger Catholics. Upsum: Left-leaning people want to be welcomed, and involved, in their faith.

https://www.wunc.org/2025-04-21/what-pope-francis-means-to-younger-catholics

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about the 70% that have been driven away? Why should the Church only be for RWNJ? No business can survive by ignoring 70% of its customers. What about the majority that those short-sighted, selfish bigots also known as JPII and Benedict ignored?

FYI The far right is putting such a stranglehold on the Church IT WILL NOT SURVIVE IT. So much money is being wasted on christo-nationalist nonsense and siphoned away on real needs of the Church - leaking roofs, broken boilers, etc. The far right is starving money from Church infrastructure. Once the far right is done weaponizing the Church, there will be nothing left. But who am I to say?...I only worked for the Church and know of what I speak.

IMHO, the “70%” are not coming back. Vatican II was an explicit effort to retain the 70% and it did not work and it alienated a lot of lower case “O” orthodox families in the process. My personal theory is that the Catholic Church cannot “out progressive” the secular culture so any effort to do so is doomed to failure. JPII was an extremely good (but flawed) Pope who through force of will renewed the Church (and the seminaries, particularly) from its post-Vatican II problems.

The PF pontificate, which is more closely aligned with the VII project saw a retreat in vocations beyond the prevailing trends of his elevation to the papal office. That must be taken seriously.

I simply don’t agree that far right projects are siphoning away money from parish needs. That is not how parish finances work in most dioceses.

Whether you like it or not, it is the conservative bloc of the church that tries to live out some version of Catholic holiness and in particular that produces Catholic families. It comes at the expense of other important projects, but what is a church with empty pews?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about the 70% that have been driven away? Why should the Church only be for RWNJ? No business can survive by ignoring 70% of its customers. What about the majority that those short-sighted, selfish bigots also known as JPII and Benedict ignored?

FYI The far right is putting such a stranglehold on the Church IT WILL NOT SURVIVE IT. So much money is being wasted on christo-nationalist nonsense and siphoned away on real needs of the Church - leaking roofs, broken boilers, etc. The far right is starving money from Church infrastructure. Once the far right is done weaponizing the Church, there will be nothing left. But who am I to say?...I only worked for the Church and know of what I speak.

IMHO, the “70%” are not coming back. Vatican II was an explicit effort to retain the 70% and it did not work and it alienated a lot of lower case “O” orthodox families in the process. My personal theory is that the Catholic Church cannot “out progressive” the secular culture so any effort to do so is doomed to failure. JPII was an extremely good (but flawed) Pope who through force of will renewed the Church (and the seminaries, particularly) from its post-Vatican II problems.

The PF pontificate, which is more closely aligned with the VII project saw a retreat in vocations beyond the prevailing trends of his elevation to the papal office. That must be taken seriously.

I simply don’t agree that far right projects are siphoning away money from parish needs. That is not how parish finances work in most dioceses.

Whether you like it or not, it is the conservative bloc of the church that tries to live out some version of Catholic holiness and in particular that produces Catholic families. It comes at the expense of other important projects, but what is a church with empty pews?

It might be a Church doing even more good in the world, which is its own version of Catholic holiness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The fear is that the next Pope will be more conservative, as a kind of pendulum swing.

Now African cardinals are indeed conservative.

But racism being what it is, I think you'll need to wait a long time (when you're well and truly dust) before someone from Africa ascends to the Papacy.

Not everyone in Africa is black.

But if an African pope were chosen, he would be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about the 70% that have been driven away? Why should the Church only be for RWNJ? No business can survive by ignoring 70% of its customers. What about the majority that those short-sighted, selfish bigots also known as JPII and Benedict ignored?

FYI The far right is putting such a stranglehold on the Church IT WILL NOT SURVIVE IT. So much money is being wasted on christo-nationalist nonsense and siphoned away on real needs of the Church - leaking roofs, broken boilers, etc. The far right is starving money from Church infrastructure. Once the far right is done weaponizing the Church, there will be nothing left. But who am I to say?...I only worked for the Church and know of what I speak.

IMHO, the “70%” are not coming back. Vatican II was an explicit effort to retain the 70% and it did not work and it alienated a lot of lower case “O” orthodox families in the process. My personal theory is that the Catholic Church cannot “out progressive” the secular culture so any effort to do so is doomed to failure. JPII was an extremely good (but flawed) Pope who through force of will renewed the Church (and the seminaries, particularly) from its post-Vatican II problems.

The PF pontificate, which is more closely aligned with the VII project saw a retreat in vocations beyond the prevailing trends of his elevation to the papal office. That must be taken seriously.

I simply don’t agree that far right projects are siphoning away money from parish needs. That is not how parish finances work in most dioceses.

Whether you like it or not, it is the conservative bloc of the church that tries to live out some version of Catholic holiness and in particular that produces Catholic families. It comes at the expense of other important projects, but what is a church with empty pews?

It might be a Church doing even more good in the world, which is its own version of Catholic holiness.

The 70% are free to do that right now . . . and it is not happening in any measurable way.

I sincerely appreciate the desire of left leaning Catholics to see the Church live out its social mission mandate as handed down directly from Jesus. But it just doesn’t happen meaningfully or systematically from the left, either. It normally* devolves into political action and organizing from the left.

There have been isolated examples of success like the Catholic Worker houses, but those stand out for being beyond the norm.

I think the proclaimed oppression of the orthodoxy of right-leaning Catholics is simply an excuse to mask that left-leaning Catholics simply are not interested in an organized, systematic religion beyond the social justice mandate on a nebulous level.

[Anonymous]

Who will be the next pope?

Whoever Trump endorses.

[Anonymous]

Let’s be honest, the radical traditionalists hated Pope Francis as their hero was Pope Benedict. Most Catholics appreciated Pope Francis’ focus on the works and teachings of Jesus.

His focus on the poor and marginalized was a lens Catholics craved, as most want to live as Jesus taught us. Francis was not judgmental, not focused on the trappings of being in leadership of the church through financial excess (which seems akin to the tax collectors in the temple!). But he dwelled on the fact we are all God’s children and to love and support one another as Christ did- which is exactly what Peter did as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about the 70% that have been driven away? Why should the Church only be for RWNJ? No business can survive by ignoring 70% of its customers. What about the majority that those short-sighted, selfish bigots also known as JPII and Benedict ignored?

FYI The far right is putting such a stranglehold on the Church IT WILL NOT SURVIVE IT. So much money is being wasted on christo-nationalist nonsense and siphoned away on real needs of the Church - leaking roofs, broken boilers, etc. The far right is starving money from Church infrastructure. Once the far right is done weaponizing the Church, there will be nothing left. But who am I to say?...I only worked for the Church and know of what I speak.

IMHO, the “70%” are not coming back. Vatican II was an explicit effort to retain the 70% and it did not work and it alienated a lot of lower case “O” orthodox families in the process. My personal theory is that the Catholic Church cannot “out progressive” the secular culture so any effort to do so is doomed to failure. JPII was an extremely good (but flawed) Pope who through force of will renewed the Church (and the seminaries, particularly) from its post-Vatican II problems.

The PF pontificate, which is more closely aligned with the VII project saw a retreat in vocations beyond the prevailing trends of his elevation to the papal office. That must be taken seriously.

I simply don’t agree that far right projects are siphoning away money from parish needs. That is not how parish finances work in most dioceses.

Whether you like it or not, it is the conservative bloc of the church that tries to live out some version of Catholic holiness and in particular that produces Catholic families. It comes at the expense of other important projects, but what is a church with empty pews?

It might be a Church doing even more good in the world, which is its own version of Catholic holiness.

The 70% are free to do that right now . . . and it is not happening in any measurable way.

I sincerely appreciate the desire of left leaning Catholics to see the Church live out its social mission mandate as handed down directly from Jesus. But it just doesn’t happen meaningfully or systematically from the left, either. It normally* devolves into political action and organizing from the left.

There have been isolated examples of success like the Catholic Worker houses, but those stand out for being beyond the norm.

I think the proclaimed oppression of the orthodoxy of right-leaning Catholics is simply an excuse to mask that left-leaning Catholics simply are not interested in an organized, systematic religion beyond the social justice mandate on a nebulous level.

As someone who worked for the Church, I can tell you that you are wrong on so many levels. Left-leaning Catholics aren't interested in an organized, systematic religion!?!?!? Far right projects aren't siphoning away money from parish needs!!?!?! You have no idea what is going on. Any assertion that conservative Catholics (which in itself is not mutually exclusive terminology) are somehow more "holy" betrays how non-Christ-like "conservative" Catholics are. No one is more holy than anyone else.