The Next Election, The Next Pope
With my 'Pope Names' book now readily available, I am spending much of time thinking ahead to the next papal election, whenever it may be -- and hopefully it won't be soon.
Though Pope Benedict XVI, now 81, does not make the 'top 10' of the oldest popes, one has to remember that when elected, three days after his 78th birthday, he was the 5th oldest to have been elected in the last 500 years. Furthermore, taking the lead from Pope John XXIII, Pope Benedict did quip that the prior Benedict had served but briefly [i.e. 7 years and 4 months]. So to start thinking ahead to the next election, hopefully to be ahead of the curve with the facts, dynamics and potential 'politics,' is not unreasonable, and in no way macabre.
I have some very germane posts on my Papal Election specific BLOG. You may want to check those out. I show you where you can find the real odds for the next pope and the accuracy of these odds.
Given that cardinals lose their right to vote when they turn 80, I highlight the inexactness of the current Vatican rules in calculating this crucial 80th birthday. I also give you a heads up that some of the lists on the 'College of Cardinals' may not be up to date.
Talking of which, I am continuing my painstaking, hand checking of 'College of Cardinals' list. Yesterday, I was making sure that all the 'geographic' references were accurate. During that process I was struck by the potential 'disenfranchisement' of certain smaller nations. For example, right now, Slovakia has two cardinals. That looks good. But they are both over 80. Therefore, they cannot vote. The same is true for Belarus, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, Ecuador, Angola, Mozambique, Uganda, Madagascar, Ivory Coast, Mauritius Islands, Egypt, Taiwan and Lebanon. They all have a cardinal each, but in each case that cardinal is over 80. I could be wrong, but I can see people getting upset that their 'community' won't have a say in the next election.
This issue cannot be easily fixed! There can ONLY BE 120 cardinal electors. That is, at present, sacrosanct -- unless Pope Benedict XVI opts to change it. Right now there are 116 cardinals under 80. So, per the current rules, there can only be four more under-80 cardinals inducted -- until next January when the next cardinal turns 80.
Thank you.
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