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TO Death of Pope Francis He intensified the debate in the public space and launched a frenzy in the betting houses on who will be chosen to occupy the top position of the Roman Catholic Church, majority branch of Christianity with more than 1.300 million faithful worldwide.
Among the 136 cardinals who will choose the future Pope, that is, cardinals under 80, a requirement imposed by the current rules of the Church, four are Portuguese: Mr. Manuel Clemente, Patriarch Emeritus of Lisbon; D. António Marto, Bishop Emeritus of Leiria-Fatima; Mr. José Tolentino de Mendonça, mayor of Dicastery for Culture and Education, and D. Américo Aguiar, Bishop of Setúbal.
Tolentino de Mendonça, 59, the youngest among those who were pointed out as candidates for the leadership of the Vatican, was created by Pope Francis in 2019, and after Manuel Clemente (2015) and António Marto (2018), but, from the Portuguese, he is the strongest candidate to sit in the president of St. Peter, even in the select lot of 22 cardinal Cardinals Paracabile (in Italian) by the specialists of the Cardinals CollegeThat is, Cardinals With conditions to get to Dad. This online platform brings together an international and independent team of prestigious Catholic journalists and researchers who provide information about the main candidates, although he points out that he does not make a prognosis about who can be the next pontiff.
In Portugal, the enthusiasm with the Hypothesis of the Tolentino de Mendonça will lead the Catholic Church has grown in recent times, but Father José Manuel Pereira de Almeida, vice -director of the Portuguese Catholic University and knows the cardinal fact, puts water in boiling.
“It’s unlikely”The priest tells Euronews, while betting on an outer face in Europe.
“My idea is that the election will not fall into a European cardinal, Due to the evolution that the Catholic Church has had on other continents, as in Africa and Asia, “he explains.
In 2013, when Francisco Pope was chosen after the resignation of Benedict XVI, Europe’s cardinal voters represented 56% of the total, but the elections of the Argentine pontiff gave more weight to Africa, Asia and Oceania, which until then had 22 cardinal voters for the sum of the three continents. Jorge Mario Bergoglio has designated more than three bedrooms of the cardinals that will be joined in the Sistine Chapel for, at the closed and secret door, choose the new Pope.
The relationship of forces in the following conclave It guarantees a greater geographical diversity, with Europe now 39% of the total: there are 53 voters from the former continent, 37 of America, 24 of Asia, 18 of Africa and four from Oceania. According Ecclesia Agency73 nations will be represented in the conclave, against only 49 in 2013, and countries with most voters are Italy (17), United States of America (10), Brazil (7), Spain, France and India (5 each), configuring more than one third of the total.
“I would not admire if the next Pope came from another continent other than in Europe”Pereira de Almeida reiterates.
Too modern and progressive?
The Italian saying is well known, according to which, “Who enters Dad in the Sai Cardinal Conclave”that I could play in favor of Tolentino de Mendonça, seen as a possible candidate for Francisco’s succession, but without being in the main buds of experts and players.
But in addition to the geographical factor, there is another maxim that further reduces the possibilities of the Portuguese cardinal. Is preached in the Vatican who “For a fat pope, you must always follow a thin”It is worth mentioning that a reformer must follow a conservative.
Tolentino, remember A University of Cardinals of Equipa doHe has created a lot of controversy during his priestly life, especially for approaches with respect to heterodox and tolerant against homosexuality, although Machico’s cardinal has never publicly demonstrated against the church’s teachings in this regard.
In addition, he did not join for his popularity when he allied with a feminist Benedictine sister who promotes EITHERabortion, women’s management, “marriage” between people of the same sex and the adoption of children by homosexual couples.
“For national translation, (Tolentino de Mendonça) is the Minister of Education and Culture, which means that Catholic universities in the world, the cultural and most significant aspects of episcopal conferences, and therefore is a very well quoted man, in the sense that he is very considered, very heard“Father Pereira de Almeida emphasizes.
Tolentino de Mendonça, who in mid -February presided over a Sunday Mass In the Vatican that replaces Bergoglio, then entered the hospital, It has prestige in the halls of the Holy See and was very close to FranciscoBut its liberal positions in an attempt to modernize the Church can be more an obstacle than an advantage.
ADVERTISINGIn two millennia of Christianity, João XXI was the only Portuguese Pope. He was a natural doctor from Lisbon who had a pontificate of less than a year between September 1276 and May 1277.
