Some Good "Candidates" for Pope

With the unfortunate death of Pope Francis, cardinals of the Catholic Church will convene once again to elect the next pope. This will be the first papal conclave since 2013, and the first following the death of a pope since 2005. Media across the world love to speculate on who will be the next pope, which is tough, especially this time around with a record number of eligible cardinals. A presidential election in the United States is a mere coin toss by comparison. Given that no cardinal runs a campaign for pope, and given how cardinals are not supposed to have any outside influence in these conclaves, it's not right to speak of "candidates" for pope. Technically, the cardinals' will isn't even what elects the next pope, but rather God's will, for cardinals are supposed to vote based on who God thinks should be pope, not based on their own preferences. But anyway, here are some cardinals I personally think would be good popes.

Raymond Leo Burke

Cardinal Burke would be a good choice mainly for keeping the Church on the path of tradition and orthodoxy. Many times, he has expressed concern about unorthodox movements in the Church, such as the Synod on Synodality. He is not always taken seriously, but one growing group does take him seriously: the traditional Catholics. Cardinal Burke has always been friendly to the traditional, Latin Mass-going community. While he does not advocate for a return to the 1962 Missal, he does enjoy that liturgy, and he always celebrates mass in any liturgical style with reverence and beauty. Speaking of beauty, he envisioned the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse, Wisconsin, while he was bishop of La Crosse. The shrine was built in 2005 but has the style of a grand Renaissance cathedral. This shrine keeps him coming to La Crosse on special days of the year such as the Feast of St. Juan Diego on December 9. In 2022, I attended a mass he celebrated on that day and even had a short conversation with him after mass. He is eligible for election to the papacy, and another good sign is how passionate he is about choosing the right cardinal, shown by this novena he's encouraging people to pray. However, in the brief conversation I had with him, he told me that he's making fewer trips due to his age, so maybe he won't be elected because of his slowly declining health. Nonetheless, I think he would make a good pope, especially to heal the resentment some traditional Catholics have had after the restrictions on the Latin Mass that happened in July 2021. He would be the first pope from North America, also.

Robert Sarah

Cardinal Sarah would be a good choice as an austere, pious man as well. He reminds me of Benedict XVI. He seems mostly interested in theological work and does not like some of the bizarre things that happen at some modern masses. His book, The Power of Silence, which I read, is generally about how silence is a great benefit for our worldly and religious lives. In one part, he criticizes the idea of celebratory moods at funerals, saying that funerals should be for reflecting on the fact that a soul has departed and needs our prayers. I learned recently that there is a saying, "fat pope, thin pope", meaning that popes seem to alternate between progressive and traditional theology. If that pattern is true, then perhaps a pope with a similar personality and theology as Benedict XVI is coming. Cardinal Sarah could be that man. Also, if a streak of non-Italian popes from new countries holds, then Cardinal Sarah could become the first pope from Guinea and sub-Saharan Africa by extension.

Pierbattista Pizzaballa

Cardinal Pizzaballa would be a good choice as someone with a lot of experience with people of many faiths, and as someone who regularly advocates for peace and sympathizes with those affected by war. He is the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, dealing with other denominations of Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and others. His role would make him well-equipped for dialogue with secular and religious leaders from all over the world, and he has seen the strife between Israel and its enemies (especially recently!) He may be Italian by birth, but his international and interfaith experience as the Patriarch of Jerusalem look like a good combination. He is one of the cardinals the media have mentioned as a possible pope-elect.

In conclusion, these are the cardinals I've thought of by name that I think would be a good pope. Will they be elected? Who knows but God alone, who is technically the one who will choose. It is up to the cardinals convening at this conclave to hear the name God puts in their ears.