{{Catholic cardinals from around the world begin on Friday the complex, cryptic and uncertain process of picking the next leader of the world’s largest church.}}<\/p>\n
Some details are still unclear, owing to Benedict’s break with the tradition that papacies end with a pope’s death, so these “princes of the Church” will first hold an informal session before traditional rounds of talks begin on Monday.<\/p>\n
No front-runner stands out among the 115 cardinal electors – those aged under 80 – due to enter the Sistine Chapel for the conclave that picks the new pope, so discreetly sizing up potential candidates will be high on the cardinals’ agenda.<\/p>\n
They will also use the general congregations, the closed-door consultations preceding a conclave, to discuss future challenges such as better Vatican management, the need for improved communication and the continuing sexual abuse crisis.<\/p>\n
Benedict ended his difficult eight-year reign on Thursday pledging unconditional obedience to whoever succeeds him to lead the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics at one of the most problematic periods in the Church’s 2,000-year history.<\/p>\n
“The discussion we have in the congregations will be most important for the intellectual preparation” for choosing a pope, said Boston’s Cardinal Sean O’Malley, adding the electors were already preparing spiritually for the vote by intense prayer.<\/p>\n
“I would imagine each of us has some kind of list of primary candidates, and others secondary,” said Cardinal Francis George of Chicago at a media briefing with O’Malley and another American cardinal, Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston.<\/p>\n
Reuters<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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