Rome
Cardinal Josef Ratzinger, possibly the most conservative of all the cardinals, is the front-runner to succeed Pope John Paul II, Time magazine reported this week. As head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for the past two decades, Ratzinger has been in charge of explaining and enforcing the Vatican’s opposition to abortion and homosexuality, and he has a reputation for ideological rigidity. Since the current pope has reigned so long, many church watchers believe that the next conclave will choose an elderly man as a “transition” pope, with a shorter tenure. Ratzinger, 77, could be that man.
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