The Kingmen Who Will Influence the Next Conclave

By Giorgio Bernardelli
Vatican Insider
February 15, 2013

http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/the-vatican/detail/articolo/benedetto-xvi-benedict-xvi-benedicto-xvi-conclave-concalve-conclave-22348/

A moment during the last Conclave

As is usually the case when a Conclave is just around the corner, the shortlist of potential successors to the papacy has started doing the rounds. But there is another important role within the assembly of cardinals called to elect the new Pope: that of the so-called kingmakers - in other words those individuals who because of their experience and authority and not their alliances – are more able than others to influence the election result.

The kingmaker’s role is key, particularly when complex circumstances surround the choice of a new Pope, as in the case of Pope Ratzinger’s unprecedented and unexpected resignation. Many in recent days have been comparing the current situation with the second Conclave of 1978 which was convened after the unexpected death of Pope Luciani and led to the appointment of Karol Wojtyla. This was one of the circumstances in which the kingmaker’s precise role filtered out of the Holy See: it is widely recognised that the then Archbishop of Vienna, Cardinal Franz Konig – who was 73 at the time – was responsible for putting the Archbishop of Cracow’s name forward. He did so when there was a voting deadlock because a section of the College which were against Giuseppe Siri being appointed were preventing him from reaching the required quorum.

So the question is, if cardinals enter the Sistine Chapel without a clear favourite (as Joseph Ratzinger was eight years ago) who could the kingmaker cardinals of the 2013 Conclave be? This question is even harder to answer than the one about the potential candidates for the papacy. Unlike the other list, it tends to favour figures who are automatically discarded as potential new Popes because they exceed the acceptable age limit.

From this point of view, it is extremely significant that a figure like Cardinal Walter Kasper has only just made it into the college of electing cardinals. The former president of the Pontifical College for Promoting Christian Unity will in fact turn 80 on 5 March but will still have electing power, because the apostolic constitution Universi Dominici Gregis sets the start of the sede vacante period (1 March in this case) as the date when the names of the voting cardinals will be decided. Walter Kasper (along with Ratzinger) is the other great Catholic theologian of our time; only last year he published a book entitled “The Catholic Church. Essence, Reality, Mission”. It is quite natural to assume that some of the younger cardinals will look to him as a reference point.

But the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Jorge Maria Bergoglio, could also fit the profile. During the 2005 Conclave he apparently won quite a few votes. An ascetic and shy figure (he very rarely gives interviews), he is light years away from the Curia battles that marked the Vatileaks scandal. His doctrinal profile is in many ways very similar to Joseph Ratzinger’s. He is 76 years old which is why his name does not appear in the list of potential candidates to be elected Pope. But according to many Conclave participants he could play a key role in helping decide on the next Pope.