The Archbishop in Milan was said to be a favorite to become Pope but he was passed over twice. Below is a news tidbit from April 2005...
Cardinal Angelo Scola, the patriarch of Venice, is a scholarly pastor intent on raising the church's cultural and social profile.
His pastoral energy and theological intensity have made him the latest and perhaps most formidable Italian candidate for the papacy.
Even though he was a favorite for the last two elections he did not get the job. As we all know Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires bumped Cardinal Scola aside. Why do you think this happened? Was it because Cardinal Bergoglio was more Pious, more Humble, more Holy, was a Jesuit, was more educated or was better looking?
Smartfella is here to tell you that it was none of the above. The real reason was the Cardinals could not stand the thought of having a “Pope Scola”. If you did not catch on to this one, say it out loud...
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Is it the sweaty hands, the breathing hard and the frenzied look on their faces that makes people with microphones sound stupid? You are going to think I made this one up...
Within 30 minutes of the announcement of the new Pope I heard one of them blurt out, “There were strong forces pushing to name the new Pope from inside the Church’s Inner Circle. There was equally strong movement for someone outside this Inner Circle. In choosing Cardinal Bergoglio they got neither.”
Is it really possible to not be from the inside of the Inner Circle and not be from the outside of the Inner Circle both at the same time?
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Don’t say Jewish Rabbis don’t have a sense of humor. I saw one on TV the other day tell how he had a close friend who was an American Cardinal and how they had talked about that Cardinal becoming Pope one day. They were so looking forward to this new American Pope choosing the name...
John Paul George Ringo
Would a Jewish Rabbi and his American Cardinal Friend kid u?
Smartfella
