Oct 9, 2003 / 22:00 pm
Cardinal Oscar Andrés Rodríguez, Archbishop of Tegucigalpa, responded this week for the first time to reports in the media that point to him as a “candidate for Pope,” saying only the Holy Spirit knows who will succeed John Paul II.
“This is just the good will and affection of the people. Only the Holy Spirit knows if I will be the successor of John Paul II, and that will be on the day of the conclave and no sooner,” the Cardinal said, speaking to the newspaper La Prensa.
Cardinal Rodríguez, who has begun a prayer appeal in Honduras for the health of John Paul, told reporters, “We continue to pray for the Holy Father. Not because he is dying, but because he is weak and is suffering from a progressive illness.”
“My goal is to have 600,000 rosaries offered for the Holy Father’s health,” the Cardinal said.
He also pointed out that “the bad thing about Parkinson’s is that it is a progressive disease which damages the nervous system, and for that reason some days the Pope is weak, but afterwards he recovers.”
“Eight days ago the Pope could not attend his weekly audience in Rome, but now he continues with his activities, he has received many bishops and he is ready for everything that is coming,” the Cardinal added.