Reply #1: Profiles of possible candidates for next Pope [View All]

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Sun Apr 3, 2005 01:20 AM ET

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The following are brief sketches of Roman Catholic cardinals seen as possible candidates to succeed Pope John Paul II, whose death was announced by the Vatican on Saturday.

Speculation about the next leader of the world's 1.1 billion Roman Catholics is notoriously unpredictable and John Paul himself was a rank outsider whose election surprised the world.

This list is in alphabetical order, not in any ranking according to their chances, and cannot be considered complete because candidates do not publicly announce their plans:


FRANCIS ARINZE (NIGERIAN), BORN NOV 1, 1932

JORGE MARIO BERGOGLIO (ARGENTINE), BORN DEC 17, 1936

DARIO CASTRILLON HOYOS (COLOMBIAN), BORN JULY 4, 1929

GODFRIED DANNEELS (BELGIAN) BORN JUNE 4, 1933

IVAN DIAS (INDIAN), BORN APRIL 14, 1936

CLAUDIO HUMMES (BRAZILIAN), BORN AUG 8, 1934

JOSEPH RATZINGER (GERMAN), BORN APRIL 16, 1927

NICOLAS DE JESUS LOPEZ RODRIGUEZ (DOMINICAN), BORN OCT. 31, 1936

GIOVANNI BATTISTA RE (ITALIAN), BORN JAN. 30, 1934

OSCAR ANDRES RODRIGUEZ MARADIAGA (HONDURAN), BORN DEC. 29, 1942

CHRISTOPH SCHOENBORN (AUSTRIAN), BORN JAN. 22, 1945

ANGELO SCOLA (ITALIAN), BORN NOV. 7, 1941

DIONIGI TETTAMANZI (ITALIAN), BORN MARCH 14, 1934


Information on the Cardinals listed above is available @ http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=8068944


List of Cardinals: http://www.catholic-pages.com/hierarchy/cardinals_list.asp