Monday April 4, 106 AM
Australian cardinal says conclave will pick another conservative as pope

SYDNEY, (AFP) - Australian Cardinal George Pell reassured fellow Church traditionalists that the Vatican conclave that will meet this week to choose a successor to Pope John Paul II will pick another conservative.

Pell, who arrived in Rome on Sunday to help choose the next pope, told ABC radio that the one certainty about the next pontiff is that he will hold to John Paul's staunch conservative line on theological issues.

"I'm quite sure that the general line -- fidelity to basic Catholic teachings -- is absolutely unassailable," he said.

"There will be debate and discussion on what is the best way to present the message of Christ, the best way to live a Catholic life," he said, but added, "I don't think that anyone who really knows the church believes that any radical change is likely."

"I believe that the general line and the tradition will continue," said Pell, who also serves as the Archbishop of Sydney, adding he had discussed the papal succession with a number of fellow cardinals.

John Paul alienated some Catholics with his refusal to even consider the ordination of women priests or to allow priests to marry, his reaffirmation of the Church ban on artificial contraception and his handling of demands for a broad reform of the priesthood.

Canberra Catholic Bishop Pat Power expressed the hope Monday that the cardinals who will choose John Paul's successor would pick a pontiff more open to modern thinking.

"I would hope whoever is elected will be someone that will read the signs of the times and be prepared to say what are the needs of God's people today, what is the opportunity for us in these times to make the Christian message relevant in our circumstances," Power said.

Power said two key issues facing the Church were the shortage of priests and the longstanding rule against married clergy.

"The main area of concern that I would have, would be the church's discipline where we are not prepared to ordain married men to the priesthood," he said.

"I feel that because of the diminishing numbers of young, suitable people going into the priesthood that we need to be open to that possibility," he said.

But Pell, an arch-conservative on these same issues, said the majority of Catholic's would support continuing John Paul's conservative legacy.

"Those who want radical change realise that they had no hope while he was in charge and I hope with the next pope there'll be a similar sense of security."

The next pope will be elected in a secret conclave -- a meeting held under lock and key -- by 117 cardinals.

Nearly 100 of the cardinals were appointed by John Paul II.