What the Faithful in Mexico and Around the World Want to See in Their New Pope Julie Farrar - Worldcrunch
go to original March 9, 2013

The conclave to elect a successor to Pope Benedict XVI will begin on Tuesday. Though the only preferences that count are of the 115 cardinals under the age of 80, the man they choose (yes, it must be a baptized male) will lead the flock of 1.16 billion Catholics around the world.

So we wanted to take a look around that world for a peek at what the faithful want in a new leader. We'll find out soon enough if the cardinals - and the holy spirit - were listening...

MEXICO - With their three voting cardinals off to Rome, Mexico's faithful were polled by Notimex news agency. Though the cardinals may be looking for a man with good management skills to help improve the governance of the Church, the masses say they want a new pope who is youthful, liberal-minded, and relates well to the people: humility, intelligence and charisma were three words that came up most often.

The Mexican faithful believe that the least important characteristics are that he is bilingual and good-looking. Notimex also reports that six out of 10 believers in Mexico believe one of their own cardinals could be the new head of the Church.

U.S.A. - The New York Times/CBS News conducted a poll and found that 66% of American Catholics want a pope who is “younger, with new ideas,” but 26% would prefer to stick with someone “older with more experience”. Fifty-four percent want the new pope to “change to more liberal teachings,” but 18% want someone even more conservative than Benedict XVI.

From the State-Journal Register, in Springfield Illinois, opinion was mixed between those who wanted a Pope who shifted to a more progressive stance on doctrine and those who thought the successor to Benedict should consider his firm line. But several were more focused on the "leadership style" of the new pontiff. “I would like to see the new pope as charismatic and able to relate to a wide variety of people,” said Kristopher Yoon, a third-year student at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield who attends the Young Adult Mass at St. Viator’s Chapel.

Read the whole story at Worldcrunch

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