Donald Trump would like to become a pope? Yes. The US President has repeatedly joked about this subject, indicating that he would like to take the office of the head of the church. Now the graphics published by the White House came to these jokes.
However, jokes are jokes, and we have a conclave ahead of us. In this matter, which is probably not surprising, the American president also has his opinion. In the statement of April 29, the US President stated that there is in the group of American electoral cardinals “Such one person who – so makes – is from New York. ”
“It's very good, but we'll see what will happen” – added Trump. So far, no pope has come from the USA.
Timothy Michael Dolan was appointed a cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI, so he belongs to a group of cardinals who have already participated in the conclave. It is not mentioned among the so -called Papabili, or cardinals who have a chance – at least according to media reports – become a pope. He probably does not take such a perspective himself – also when it comes to other US cardinals.
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In an interview in Rome with Fox News Martha Maccallum journalist, to the question of whether an American could be elected, he said that as a church historian, he believes that the successor of St. Piotr “It must be impartial to be able to act as a conciliator, a source of reconciliation“.
“Therefore, he cannot be seen as someone close to a specific powerful state. We need someone from a more neutral place in the church” – assessed Cardinal Dolan.
Dolan has been the archbishop of New York since 2009. This is one of the most prestigious positions in the American Catholic Church. His archdiocese has 2.5 million Catholics. He is considered a conservative, although – as you can read on the College of Cardinals Report website, containing information about all this year's electors – in New York it is seen as a moderate hierarch. He often appears in the American media and is active in social media.
According to College of Cardinals Report, conducted, among others by the Vaticanist Edward Pentin, author of the book “The next Pope”, Of the 10 American cardinals who will take part in the election of Franciszek's successor, the potential candidate for the pope is not Dolan, but the conservative 76-year-old Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, like Dolan appointed cardinal by Benedict XVI.
Cardinal Raymond Burke is a retired prefect of the Supreme Court of the Apostolic Signature, the highest court body of the Catholic Church, and a commonly recognized expert in the field of canon law. In the past, he repeatedly criticized Pope Francis, including In the context of the apostolic exhortation “Amoris Laetitia”, in which the Pope in some cases allowed the possibility of giving Holy Communion to people after divorce who live in new relationships.
Cardinal Burke is a conservative, an opponent of ordaining women and blessing homosexual couples, as well as an opponent of making celibacy of priests optional.
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In 2023, Pope Francis took the cardinal with his retirement and health care and tried to evict him from his Vatican apartment for his actions – in his opinion – striking the church of the Church.
In addition to Burke and Dolana, eight other hierarchs from the USA will take part in the conclave. Most of the American electors was appointed by Pope Francis. The youngest of them, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost is 69 years old, and the oldest – Kevin Joseph Farrell and Wilton Daniel Gregory – 77 years old.
