By Gagani Weerakoon
Archbishop of Colombo, His Eminence Albert Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith
Archbishop of Colombo, His Eminence Albert Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, has been named as one of the possible candidates to succeed Pope Benedict XVI, 85, who announced his shocking resignation on Monday (11).
Cardinal Ranjith (65) is the only Asian in the list and this is the first time a Sri Lankan has been named as a favourite to be the next Pope. He is only the second Sri Lankan to be created a Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church.
Rev. Benedict Joseph Fernando, spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Colombo, speaking to Ceylon Today on the possibility of His Eminence being named a candidate to become the Bishop of Rome and the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church, said Cardinal Ranjith stands a chance and has all the qualifications to be appointed.
“However, selecting candidates to be the Pope is done in a special spiritual manner. Individuals, institutions or organizations cannot and do not carry out any lobbying or propaganda in this regard,
” Rev. Joseph said.
Archbishop of Colombo, Patabendige Don Albert Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith is the son of Patabendige Don William and Hettiarachchige Mary Winifred Perera and was born on 15 November 1947 in Polgahawela.
He was educated at the Roman Catholic Boys’ School, Lunupokuna and De la Salle College, Mutwal, both in Colombo 15.
Pope Benedict XVI, 85, on 28 February, made the surprise announcement that he would step down citing his advanced age.
Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi, said a successor could be elected by Easter, which falls on 31 March. Already speculation is running rampant. Vatican experts say there is no clear favourite.
On 20 October 2010, Pope Benedict XVI announced a Consistory for the creation of new Cardinals to be held on 20 November 2010, and made public the names of 24 Prelates he intended to raise to the Cardinality on that occasion, Archbishop Ranjith being among those chosen for promotion to the Sacred College. Accordingly, Archbishop Ranjith was created a Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church on the Consistory of 20 November 2010, and was assigned the title of Cardinal-Priest of San Lorenzo in Lucina.
On 13 February 2011 Cardinal Ranjith took possession of his titular church in Rome.
In addition to serving as Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Ranjith serves as a member of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments and of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. These memberships will be renewed every five years until his 80th birthday, When he loses them, on the same day he loses the right to vote in a conclave.
According to Forbes magazine, several Italians top the list (Italians hold a quarter of the seats in the College of Cardinals, which will pick the next Pope), but a Canadian is also a frontrunner, and many are speculating that the next Pope will come from Latin America, home to 42% of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics, or from Africa.
Forbes said Cardinal Albert Malcolm Ranjith was among the names floated yesterday as a possible candidate together with Cardinal Tarsicio Bertone, 78, Italy. Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 76, Argentina. Cardinal Timothy Dolan, 63, US (New York). Antonio Cañizares Llovera, 67, Spain. Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera, 71, Mexico. Cardinal George Pell, 70, Australia. Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, 68, Italy. Cardinal Angelo Amato, 74, Italy. Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, 69, Italy.
However the leading contenders are:
Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, 70, Archbishop of Genoa. He made headlines last year for attacking then-Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and other Italian leaders as unethical role models. He’s “fairly savvy about both secular politics and the media,” writes National Catholic Reporter Vatican specialist John Allen. USA Today ranks him as one of the top possible picks. Church historian Matthew Bunson told USA Today that Bagnasco is “an intellectual heavyweight” who speaks multiple languages. Bagnasco has twice been president of the Italian bishops’ conference.
Cardinal Angelo Scola, 70. Archbishop of Milan. According to the National Catholic Reporter, his is the most commonly mentioned name among cardinals. He is a scholar on Islam and Christian-Muslim dialogue. Church historian Matthew Bunson, told USA Today that Scola is “well positioned for dealing with the challenges of secularism and materialism in the West.”
Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, 70. Another Italian, who became a cardinal in 2010, he heads the Pontifical Council for Culture, which works on the relationship between Catholicism and different cultures.
Known for his intellect and communication skills, he is a bible scholar, based in Rome. John Allen has said that Ravasi may have a disadvantage because he has never been a bishop with an archdiocese. “Some would wonder if there were substance beneath the charm,” Allen told USA Today.
Christoph Schoenborn, 68. Cardinal of Vienna and a former student of Pope Benedict, he has been a cardinal since 1998. He heads the Austrian Bishops Conference. He has spoken out against sex abuse in the Church and said that the celibacy of priests should be re-examined in light of the scandals.
Cardinal Marc Ouellet, 68. The former Archibishop of Quebec, Ouellet now heads the Congregation of Bishops, an influential post. Experienced in dealing with secularized Catholics, he is also hailed as smart and intellectual.
Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, 69. A longtime Vatican diplomat, he heads the Vatican’s office for eastern Catholics. Born in Argentina, he has held church offices in Venezuela and Mexico and would be the first pope from South America.
He is currently No. 2 in the Vatican Secretary of State’s office. When Pope John Paul II died in April 2005, Sandri read the public announcement.
Odilo Scherer, 63, archbishop of Sao Paolo. He became a cardinal in 2007. He was born in Brazil of parents of German ancestry. Considered a theological moderate, he has taught philosophy and theology. He has criticized liberation theology’s Marxist orientation but praised its work on social justice and poverty.
Peter Turkson, 64. From Ghana, Turkson heads the Vatican’s justice and peace department. He is often named as the frontrunner from Africa. Turkson studied at St. Anthony-on-Hudson Seminary in Rensselaer, New York, where he earned his Bachelor’s in theology. He is the first Ghanaian cardinal. Though he has said condoms are not a solution to the AIDS crisis, he has also said that if one person in a faithful, married couple is infected, condoms could be useful.
Francis Arinze, 80, converted from animist beliefs to Catholicism at age nine. He was appointed cardinal in 1985. His name was floated in 2005 to succeed John Paul II. Arinze became known during the Nigeria-Biafra war in the late 1960s when, as Archbishop of Onitsha, he organized the distribution of food and medical supplies.COURTESY:CEYLON TODAY