By Marianne White
Vancouver Sun
July 1, 2010
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Quebec+cardinal+claims+designs+papacy/3223578/story.html
Ouellet heading to Rome to take up powerful position as head of the Congregation of Bishops
| Quebec Cardinal Marc Ouellet, seen with Pope Benedict XVI, was named as a possible successor to John Paul II in 2005. |
Controversial Quebec Cardinal Marc Ouellet, who is heading to Rome to take over a high-profile position, insisted Wednesday he is not after the Vatican's top job.
The multi-lingual Ouellet has been touted as a possible successor to Pope Benedict XVI and his new powerful job -- head of the Congregation for Bishops, the organization that picks which priests will become bishops -- ups his profile as a possible contender.
"I'm surprised to be today in this position and I don't think that I will become a pope someday, I don't think so," Canada's highest ranking Catholic priest told a news conference in Quebec City.
He said his dream as a boy was to be a missionary and that he fulfilled that dream when he worked for 10 years in South America. The 66-year-old said he wants to concentrate on the task ahead which he described as a "huge responsibility."
John L. Allen Jr., a leading Vatican watcher and correspondent for the National Catholic reporter, said Ouellet has been named to one of the three most powerful positions at the Vatican after the Pope.
"In any institution when you are in a position to determine who its future leaders are going to be, that makes you a big deal," he said in an interview from Rome. In 2005, when John Paul II's successor was chosen, Ouellet's name also came up in the list of possible candidates for the job.
Allen believes if Ouellet makes a good impression, it could boost his stock for the next papal election.
"This certainly gives him an opportunity to play on the global stage and if he does that well, it could certainly make him a strong candidate the next time around," he said.
The fact that Ouellet is a traditionalist and devotee of the Catholic right could certainly play in his favour, Allen added.
He said the appointment should be seen as a big vote of confidence from the pontiff -- whom he has known for more than 20 years. Ouellet added Wednesday: "I think the Pope has a great trust in me and he knows that I have been supporting him in the difficult times that we've had to go through and I will keep supporting him.
"We are aware that in the western world in particular, Christianity is going through difficult times. It's a time of crisis, so it is a time of decision, decision in favour of the gospel and in favour of Christ."
The cardinal recently came to the defence of the Pope when he was accused of turning a blind eye to priests who were sexually abusing children.
Ouellet himself has been under pressure in Quebec to apologize in the church's name to victims of sexual abuses by priests. Victim's rights activist France Bedard said Wednesday Ouellet doesn't deserve his promotion to the Vatican.
"What has he done for his people, for the victims of sexual assaults by priests? Nothing," Bedard said. "I'm wondering if this is really a promotion or simply an escape."
The Quebec cardinal, who is also the Roman Catholic Primate of Canada, is well known in his home province for his conservative views and hard line stance against abortion.
Ouellet set off a firestorm last month when he said abortion was an unjustifiable moral crime, even in the case of rape. He later defended his comments and called for a broader debate on abortion, adding he considers abortion a "serious moral disorder."
The comments provoked rebukes from several women's rights organizations and politicians in Quebec and Ottawa.
Ouellet acknowledged Wednesday he is not perfect and said he hopes Quebecers will remember him for more than only the controversies.
Ouellet was born in La Motte -- a small town near Amos in the Abitibi-Temiscamingue region -- on June 8, 1944.
He spent 13 years in Rome as chairman of dogmatic theology before becoming archbishop of Quebec City in 2002.
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