The Next Pope?

An excerpt from "Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet would bring ‘strong sense of collegiality’ as pope" by The National Post:

Mere hours after Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation Monday, Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet became one of the most talked about candidates to replace him as leader of the world’s one billion Catholics.

If elected by his 120 or so peers in the Vatican next month, the hockey-playing kid from Abitibi, Que., would make history not just as the first Canadian pope, or even the first from North America, but the first ever appointed from outside Europe — a move observers are urging the church to make as it looks to minister to growing ranks of believers in the global south and remain relevant to the rest of the world.

An excerpt from "Experts: Top 5 picks for the next pope" by USA Today: 

Ouellet is close to Benedict in theological thinking and someone who could bring a strong hand to the curia (the Vatican bureaucracy).

"The electors could get a traditional pick and still say, 'Hey, we're innovators. We went to North America!' He's the eye-popping choice." says David Gibson, author of several books on the Catholic Church including a biography of Pope Benedict XVI.

 YouTube Video Description - [Channel: saltandlighttv. Published: May 1, 2012]:

The Roman Curia has always had a distinctly Italian composition. But under the pontificate of Benedict XVI, several non-Italians have assumed key posts in the central government of the Roman Catholic Church. One of those people is Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet, former Archbishop of Quebec and now the Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops and President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.