Rockford, Ill., Apr 18, 2005 / 22:00 pm
Bishop Thomas Doran believes it won't be too long before the 115 cardinals elect the new Pope.
The bishop of the Diocese of Rockford told WTVO that he thinks the next Pope could come from any country and that race is not an issue. An African or an Asian Pope could bolster the Catholic faith in their respective continents.
He also considered the possibility of having a Latin American Pope, given that almost half of the world’s Catholics reside in Mexico, Central America and South America.
“The faith has grown astoundingly [there], about 25 percent over the course of the last quarter century," Bishop Doran said. "So maybe it would be good to have a Latin American Pope."
He noted the media reports indicating Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as the most-popular candidate to succeed Pope John Paul II, but he said: "There's an old Italian saying: 'The one who goes into the conclave as a Pope, comes out as a cardinal, so who knows."
Whoever the next Pope is, Doran says he will face the growing challenge of spreading the Catholic teachings to all cultures.
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