David Bertaina, an assistant professor of comparative religion at the University of Illinois Springfield, said marriage and women issues aren’t on the minds of the College of Cardinals or of “typical Catholics,” those who regularly participate in the life of the church.
“You would have to have a groundswell of common Catholics to talk about these things,” said Bertaina. “I don’t see it.”
Bertaina said it’s “certainly possible” for a pope to emerge from Africa or South America, someone like Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana. Among the Europeans, Bertaina said Cardinal Angelo Scola, the archbishop of Milan, has experience in interreligious and ecumenical dialogue.
“The church is interested in places it’s growing,” like sub-Sahara Africa and Latin and South America, said Bertaina. “Local people there take the Catholic Church seriously, unlike Euro and American cultures.”
Bertaina was featured by The State Journal-Register on March 7, 2013.
Read the article online
