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rfmcdonald"Could a Canadian become the next pope?" is the title of the CBC article on the prospects of Marc Ouellet--archbishop of Quebec, Primate of Canada, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops--succeeding Benedict XVI to the office of the Papacy.
It's worth noting that Ouellet belongs to what is quite possibly the last generation of strongly Roman Catholic French Canada. Canadian Francophones never formed more than 30% of the Canadian population, but they form--and still form--half of Canada's Roman Catholic population. In the past half-century, as Québec has secularized with a vengeance, Roman Catholicism's strength as anything other than a badge of identity has weakened sharply. Ouellet appeared here in 2010 in connection with the overwhelmingly hostile reaction in Québec to his statement that abortion was never justifiable, not even in cases of rape.
Were Ouellet to become Pope, he would find himself fulfilling a lot of records: the first non-European, the first Canadian, the first Francophone in centuries. I would expect quite a few people in Canada, and in Québec more specifically, to be rather proud of him. I would not expect
Three Canadian cardinals will be part of the conclave to elect a new pope, and one is considered a leading contender to take over after Pope Benedict XVI steps down Feb. 28.
The selection of a Canadian as pontiff would be unprecedented. A non-European cardinal has never been chosen to lead the church.
The Canadians involved in the decision-making process are Cardinal Thomas Collins from Toronto, and Cardinals Jean-Claude Turcotte and Marc Ouellet, both from Quebec.
[. . .]
Cardinal Ouellet is the Canadian head of the Vatican's office for bishops and joins Cardinal Angelo Scola, archbishop of Milan, and Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, the archbishop of Vienna, as potential successors to Benedict.
Cardinal Ouellet was appointed Metropolitan Archbishop of Quebec in November 2002, and elevated to the Sacred College of Cardinals one year later. He participated in the conclave that led to the papal election of Benedict in April 2005. He is also prefect of the Congregation of Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.
In his current role in the Vatican, the cardinal oversees the appointment of bishops and is active on numerous Roman Catholic commissions and committees. His special interests have included Latin America.
In an interview with the Catholic news organization Salt + Light TV published online last April, Cardinal Ouellet was asked whether he had hopes of becoming pope.
"I don't see myself at this level, not at all ... because I see how much it entails [in terms of] responsibility," he said. "On the other hand, I say I believe that the Holy Spirit will help the cardinals do a good choice for the leadership of the church, the Catholic Church, in the future."
It's worth noting that Ouellet belongs to what is quite possibly the last generation of strongly Roman Catholic French Canada. Canadian Francophones never formed more than 30% of the Canadian population, but they form--and still form--half of Canada's Roman Catholic population. In the past half-century, as Québec has secularized with a vengeance, Roman Catholicism's strength as anything other than a badge of identity has weakened sharply. Ouellet appeared here in 2010 in connection with the overwhelmingly hostile reaction in Québec to his statement that abortion was never justifiable, not even in cases of rape.
Were Ouellet to become Pope, he would find himself fulfilling a lot of records: the first non-European, the first Canadian, the first Francophone in centuries. I would expect quite a few people in Canada, and in Québec more specifically, to be rather proud of him. I would not expect
