I have a sinking feeling, Cardinal Timothy Dolan will be the next Pope.

[Xithras]

45. Yep, there were a couple priests talking about this on TV this morning.

Most of the Catholic leadership is highly aware of the fact that a huge percentage of the worlds Catholics live in nations that have less-than-ideal relationships with the United States. Those nations already see the United States as wielding too much power on the world stage, and MANY would percieve an American Pope as simply another extension of American power. That would unquestionably create a rift in the church.

There's a far greater chance that we'll see an African or Hispanic Pope, but they also pointed out that it's entirely possible that we'll see an Italian Pope again. The leadership of the Catholic Church is still heavily Italian, but there hasn't been an Italian Pope since 1978. There is a bit of expectation that the Catholics may choose an Italian this time around to help bolster the Churches waning relevance within Italy itself.