WHO WILL BECOME THE NEXT POPE?
John Paul for over 20 years has actively removed liberal elements from the church and has established Vatican authority. From the very beginning of his reign, John Paul II decided to systematically crush dissent by Catholic theologians and to marginalize critics so they would no longer stir up unwanted discussion within the church.
There is an official group in the Roman Catholic Church called Doctrine of the Faith which was formerly the infamous Inquisition. This department oversees moral and theological issues and is responsible for enforcing church doctrine--or fighting heresy just like the old Inquisition. The head of this group is German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.
Few people realize that under Pope John Paul there was a worldwide push to remove all liberal leadership in the church. Bishops in Latin America, Australia, India, Austria, the Netherlands, Canada, etc. were basically replaced with men who toed the Vatican party line. By stacking the deck with like-minded cardinals, the pope has ensured that his successor will be a right-winger who shares his conservative theology and morality. There can be no doubt that the coming pope will be a radical right-winger.
High church officials have thought that Cardinal Ratzinger is too old to be pope. This however, could actually be one of his biggest advantages. With the long reign of Pope John Paul II, some in the church believe a transitional pope would be a good thing. Thus Ratzinger has the potential of pleasing both the conservatives, by virtue of his ruthless commitment to hard and fast Catholic dogma, and those who oppose him, by the appearance that he could not remain very long as pope.
COULD THE NEXT POPE BE CARDINAL JOSEPH RATZINGER?