You can find my top 10 papabili (pl. papabile) list for 2009 at: popes-and-papacy.
Since my book, I get quite a few queries as to who I think the next pope will be, after Pope Benedict XVI, and the new name they are likely to assume. In the past, per this BLOG entry, I have been sending people over to Paddy Power and the online betting ‘book’ they maintain.
This weekend, within the context of the new book I am writing, I spent a lot of time researching the potential papabili. During the course of this, ever mindful of the dangers of speculating on papal succession, I realized that I had no option but to come up with a new list. So I did.
I made a few key assumptions when selecting my set of cardinals and ranking them. These were:
- The next pope, for essentially secular political reasons, is unlikely to be from the U.S.A.
- The next pope is unlikely to be from Germany given that Pope Benedict XVI is German.
- The next pope, when elected, is unlikely to be over 75 years in age.
So have a look at the list. Feel free to use either of the BLOGs as a forum for your comments and feedback. I am all ears.
Many thanks for your time. Merry Christmas and may 2009 shower you with all that is wonderful in life.
[...] published my list on December 11, 2008 and documented some of my justifications here. That was two months ago. Since then I have done a ton more of research on my top ten, and written [...]