In Brief... In Search of the Next Pope
The maneuvering for the next pope is in full but silent swing during what Pope John Paul II, now 81, calls the "twilight years" of his papacy.
The Polish pope's election over 23 years ago broke with a tradition of Italians for nearly 500 years, and opened the way for a surprise pope from the Third World. The chances of that have improved since John Paul elevated 44 new members to the College of Cardinals, from which a future non-Italian pope could be elected. Though Italian cardinals are still the largest contingent, no cardinal has sufficient support. Latin Americans are the largest geographic bloc after the Europeans, and they minister to about 500 million Catholics. The church is expanding fast in Africa and Asia.
The most closely watched cardinals are six from different countries and cultures, who share certain attributes. All are multilingual men of the world, all hold high-profile posts at home or at the Vatican, and all are of the Third World.
One example is the primate of Mexico, Cardinal Norbero Rivera Carrera. He is athletic, 59, of Tepehuene Indian ancestry and lives in his native state of Durango. He gained a reputation as a strict conservative at a time of liberal theology and doctrine. He has spoken out against Mexico's elite for corruption and failure to help the nation's poor. He could be the next to sit in the seat now occupied by John Paul II.
Another is Nigerian Cardinal Francis Arinze, 68, born in eastern Eziowelle. His older brother recounts that as a youth, he excelled academically and entered the seminary at 15.
Arinze gained notoriety during the Biafran civil war in the late 1960s and early 1970s when he was forced, overnight, to transform missionary schools under his charge into camps for starving refugees. He has also served for two decades at the Vatican as a key figure in arranging interfaith dialogue among Catholics, Muslims and Hindus.
Among the others being watched are cardinals from Vietnam, Colombia, Honduras and Cuba.
John Paul's papacy saw the fall of the Berlin Wall, the fall of the Soviet Union and the rise of terrorism in the world. The next pope will likely be thrust into a world with equally diverse problems.
An Article from:
World News and Prophecy: January 2002
Course Content
Jim Tuck
Jim has been in the ministry over 40 years serving fifteen congregations. He and his wife, Joan, started their service to God's church in Pennsylvania in 1974. Both are graduates of Ambassador University. Over the years they served other churches in Alabama, Idaho, Oregon, Arizona, California, and currently serve the Phoenix congregations in Arizona, as well as the Hawaii Islands. He has had the opportunity to speak in a number of congregations in international areas of the world. They have traveled to Zambia and Malawi to conduct leadership seminars In addition, they enjoy working with the youth of the church and have served in youth camps for many years.
John Foster
No Bio Info Available
Ken Martin
Kenneth Martin was a pastor for the United Church of God, who served as an elder in the Church of God for 55 years before his death in 2021 at the age of 81.
Ken graduated from Ambassador College (Big Sandy, Texas) in 1966 as student body president and valedictorian. He was ordained an elder in June 1966 by Herbert Armstrong, and served God’s people for the remainder of his years. In that time, he touched the lives of thousands of people and served in the following congregations: Dallas (Texas), Fort Wayne and South Bend (Indiana), Toledo and Findlay (Ohio), Birmingham and Jasper (Alabama), Atlanta, Carrolton, Macon and Columbus (Georgia). He also served the United Church of God as regional pastor for the Southeast region and served as chairman for the Prophecy Advisory Committee.
His joy was to serve those whom God is calling at this time to be the first fruits of God’s great plan of salvation via Jesus Christ… preaching repentance and the good news of the coming Kingdom of God!
