Some cardinals have a list of qualities they want in the next pope: an eager evangelist, master communicator, and deft administrator, with an ear for languages and a heart for the developing world.
Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan says he has a simpler, albeit perhaps even tougher, criterion: he wants the next pope to be like Jesus.
“I hope you believe me, and I hope you believe I’m not being dismissive: you always look for somebody that reminds you of Jesus,’’ he said Sunday, speaking to reporters after celebrating Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral
“Now we’re all supposed to do that â€" anybody who claims to be a follower of Jesus Christ,’’ said Cardinal Dolan, who is the Roman Catholic archbishop of New York. “But you look for somebody who just seems to radiate the love and the tenderness, the mercy, the truth of Jesus Christ.â€
Dressed in purple vestments for Lent and holding a golden crozier adorned with a carving of a lamb, Cardinal Doan said he believed the last few popes had met that standard.
“In my recent memory, the Holy Spirit’s not let us down, because the popes with whom we’ve been blessed have been a great icon of Jesus Christ, and I’m confident that the next one will be as well,’’ he said.
The Mass on Sunday was his last at St. Patrick’s before he departs for Rome on Tuesday; on Thursday, he plans to greet Pope Benedict XVI for the last time before the pope retires that evening, and then Cardinal Dolan will spend the next few weeks meeting with his fellow cardinals and choosing the next pope.
“Believe me, everybody, I’m doing a lot of praying,’’ he said, standing before the cathedral’s large Pieta. “I’m praying a lot that I’ll have the guidance and gift of the Holy Spirit to make the right decision, because this is one of the most awesome responsibilities a cardinal could ever have.â€
For the second day in a row, Cardinal Dolan dismissed Italian news reports suggesti! ng that an unreleased Vatican investigation into leaks of church information might have influenced the pope’s decision to retire. He said he believed the pope’s retirement was “not about his prerogatives, his office, his prominence â€" it’s about service to our lord and his church†and that “all this other speculation, I think it’s just that â€" speculation.â€
“There are so many rumors, there are so many whispers, there is so much gossip,’’ he said. “I would like to think we should take the Holy Father at his word.’’
Asked by a reporter whether Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, the retired archbishop of Los Angeles, should participate in the conclave, given that he faces criticism of his handling of sexually abusive priests, Cardinal Dolan said, “Sure he sould go. He has the right as a cardinal to go.’’
But Cardinal Dolan also said, in response to a separate question, that the Catholic church was always facing challenges and suffering.
“You see sin, you see grace,’’ he said. “You do see darkness, and you do see dazzling light.’’
