Pope Benedict XVI Resigns: Which Cardinal Will Be The Next Pope?

As Pope Benedict resigns this month, the question many Catholics will be asking is which Cardinal is likely to be the next Pope?

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation announcement has stunned the world. He will be the first Pope in hundreds of years to voluntarily step down from his position in the Catholic church since Gregory XII. Pope Benedict XVI has cited health concerns for his reasons for resigning as pope, but some people believe there is a conspiracy involved. Many are discussing a prophecy using the Twitter hash tag #ProphecyOfThePopes that calls for the downfall of the Catholic Church.

There are 208 Cardinals who must vote to decide who will lead the Catholic Church next. Experts on the Vatican and the internal workings of the Holy See believe there are five “papabile,” which is Italian for the Cardinals who might be elected to be the next pope. According to Forbes, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said a successor could be elected by Easter, which falls on March 31.

USA Today reports that there are five leading contenders to be the next pope. The first is Cardinal Angelo Scola, Archbishop of Milan, who is said to be “well positioned for dealing with the challenges of secularism and materialism in the West.” Scola was once quoted as saying the Catholic Church’s job is to forge a great reawakening:

“Our job now has to be to help people to remember God. People suffer from a kind of amnesia about God and we have to remind them to reawaken God in their hearts and in their minds.”

Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco “fairly savvy about both secular politics and the media.” His intellectual activities include speaking multiple languages and he is a “former professor of metaphysics and contemporary atheism.” He’s also likely to benefit from the fact that one-fourth of the College of Cardinals are Italian.

Cardinal Marc Ouellet is the Canadian-born former Archbishop of Quebec. Ouellet is close to Pope Benedict XVI and he also knows North America very well, making him a combo package deal. Cardinal Leonardo Sandri also has this benefit working for him, although he’s from South America.

Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi is called a “”a master communicator who could take the world by storm. He can ignite rich, solid commitment to Catholic orthodoxy without ever coming off as a scold.” He’s known for his smarts and besides being Italian he’s also based in Rome already.

Which cardinal do you think will be the next pope now that Pope Benedict XVI is resigning?

As a Catholic, I'm not buying this. Popes don't just quit because they're tired. What's going on here??

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) February 11, 2013

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