The Secret Cardinal by Tom Grace Page B

trolling the Web, and Paddy Power is listing odds on the top cardinals. There are five in single digits.”
    â€œThe papabili,” Donoher said with an exaggerated Italian flourish. “It’s dangerous to be named a favorite going into a papal election. There’s an old saying that many a man has gone into conclave a pope and come out a cardinal. You aren’t betting on this, I hope.”
    â€œI don’t gamble at all,” Grin replied. “Throwing money away is not my idea of a good time.”
    â€œIs it a sin to bet on a papal election?” Kilkenny asked.
    â€œNo, but such a wager would be in extremely poor taste. Though were I a betting man, I believe my money would be safe in the top five. Any one of them would make a fine pope.”

    â€œWho do you think has the best shot?” Kilkenny asked.
    â€œEach papabili has his assets and liabilities. If you follow the conventional wisdom that the Church will not make two bold moves in a row, then Cardinal Magni is the clear favorite. He’s the only Italian among the papabili, so he can count on garnering seventeen percent of the vote straight away. He is also very conservative and well-liked by Opus Dei.”
    â€œAren’t those the guys who got slammed in The Da Vinci Code ?” Grin asked.
    Donoher nodded. “And at sixty-nine, his reign likely will not last as long as Pope Leo’s. Magni is a very safe choice. If the European cardinals don’t go for him, then they’ll likely support Ryff. He’s a well-respected moral theologian, a man cut from the same cloth as Pope Leo, which makes him a strong contender. He’s middle-European, which to some may make him seem a bit too much like Pope Leo, but the biggest knock against him is his age.”
    â€œToo old?” Kilkenny asked.
    â€œToo young. He’s only fifty-seven and in very good health. A man like that could reign for a very long time indeed.”
    â€œWhat about the other three?” Kilkenny asked.
    â€œAh, that’s where things get interesting,” Donoher said wryly. “The demographics of the Church have changed dramatically over the past century, and Leo’s selection of cardinals reflects this fundamental change. For the first time, cardinals from Third World countries have a real opportunity to win the papacy. Escalante from Honduras would be an exciting choice. Nice fellow, very media-savvy, and wonderful in front of a crowd. His election would be the most dramatic event in the history of Latin America since Columbus washed ashore. Then there’s Cardinal Velu from Bombay.”
    â€œIndia?” Kilkenny said. “I didn’t know there were any Catholics there.”
    â€œRoughly twenty million, and the Church in India dates to the Apostle Thomas. Velu has also spent time in the Vatican ranks, so he’s well connected here. He’s a conservative theologian, fluent in more than a dozen languages, and has wonderful rapport in Africa and Southeast Asia. And he’s the right age—neither too old nor too
young—but he’s so conservative that the moderate cardinals might have trouble voting for him.
    â€œRounding out the papabili is Oromo from Sudan,” Donoher continued, “a very bright fellow and well connected in the Islamic world. He arranged the first visit by a pope to a mosque. Oromo’s election could do a lot of good in building bridges between the largely Judeo-Christian West and the Islamic nations of Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Africa is also home to more than one hundred twenty million Catholics, and one of the few places where priestly vocations are on the rise.”
    â€œWhat’s his downside?” Grin asked.
    â€œThat depends on the bloc of cardinals. To some, he’s more conservative then Velu. Others might object that the Catholic Church in Africa is too young, especially compared with the Church in Latin America. Sadly, there may even