De retour de Rome en mai dernier, John Allen, observateur avisé du Vatican, avait établi la liste des 11 cardinaux les plus susceptibles de succéder à Benoit XVI, qui vient de surprendre le monde en renonçant à sa fonction.
Le journaliste du National Catholic Reporter plaçait le cardinal de New York Timothy Dolan au deuxième rang des outsiders et le cardinal de Québec Marc Ouellet au deuxième rang des favoris derrière le cardinal de Milan Angelo Scola.
Je cite dans le texte l'analyse des chances du cardinal Ouellet selon Allen :
The case for: A native of Quebec, Ouellet is another intellectual disciple of Benedict XVI, respected for his brains, his integrity and his spiritual depth. He's quite a cosmopolitan, having grown up in French-speaking Canada, studied in Austria and Germany and served as a Sulpician priest in Colombia. He's put in two tours as a Vatican official, and in between he led the Quebec archdiocese - giving him a mix of both pastoral experience and Roman seasoning. Ouellet would represent a break from the European domination of the papacy, the "first pope from the New World." Supporters say he would make a prayerful, humble pontiff, as well as a strong teacher of the faith and defender of Catholic identity.
The case against : Some might argue that Ouellet is too much like Benedict XVI for his own good - cerebral, retiring, uncomfortable in the spotlight and more passionate about the life of the mind than realpolitik. As one veteran Vatican-watcher put it, speaking of Ouellet, "A Ratzingerian is inevitably going to be less than Ratzinger. You always lose something with a photocopy."
Âgé de 85 ans, Joseph Ratzinger deviendra le premier pape à renoncer à sa fonction en six siècles, comme on peut le lire dans cet article du New York Times). Il a invoqué l'âge comme raison de sa décision.
Selon un porte-parole du Vatican, l'Église catholique aura un nouveau pape pour Pâques.
P.S. : La réaction du cardinal Dolan à la démission du pape :