Passive-aggressive opportunism and the College of Cardinals

Liz Sly has an interesting piece in the Chicago Tribune on the selection process for the next pope. Although any male Catholic can be chosen, the overwhelming probability is that the next Pope will come from the College of Cardinals — the very body that selects the next pope. This raises a tricky question — how can a Cardinal who wants to be pope express that desire? As Sly explains:

It will be no ordinary election. Campaigning is frowned upon, and any cardinal who may wish to be pope would be best advised to keep that to himself. A cardinal who is seen to be pre-empting God’s will by promoting his own chances would be quickly shunted aside.

So, does this make it difficult for potential prelates to make their case to fellow cardinals? Not necessarily, thanks to the Internet, as Sly explains:

In days gone by, the General Congregation would have provided a first opportunity for cardinals from far-flung places to meet and learn about each other’s positions on various issues. But in the age of jet travel and electronic communications, all the cardinals already have met at least once and are likely to be somewhat familiar with each other’s reputations and policies, decreasing the likelihood that a dark horse candidate would emerge, as was the case when John Paul II was chosen. Some cardinals have Web sites, especially those who head dioceses, on which they post their pictures, writings and biographies, making it easy for cardinals to read about each other. The Web site of the archdiocese of Milan, for example, contains more than 120 pictures of Archbishop Dionigi Tettamanzi, one of the most frequently mentioned favorites for the job. The powerful Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who as the dean of the College of Cardinals will be in charge of organizing the conclave and is expected to play a key role in brokering the selection, has his own Web site on which his extensive theological writings are posted. There also is a fan site on which admirers can purchase T-shirts, beer mugs and buttons emblazoned with Ratzinger’s most important pronouncements.

In other words, candidates for the papacy can’t come out and say they want to be the pope, but they can provide easily accessible information about their theological doctrines, positions, and, yes, even head shots. They can’t be aggressive, but they can be passive-aggressive. [Jeez, it’s almost like they’re academics or something–ed.] I eagerly await the first cardinal blog. For more information on the selection of the next pope, visit this page at catholic-pages.com. UPDATE: The Associated Press reports that, “In a major change to a centuries-old practice, the Vatican will ring bells in addition to sending up white smoke to signal the election of a new pope.” Yep — it’s just a step or two between ringing bells and text-messaging the entire flock.