Pope's secret cardinal remains a mystery
The identity of a cardinal Pope John Paul selected in 2003 but never publicly identified is still a mystery – at least for another day, the Vatican said.
Spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said the Pope’s spiritual testament, which may include identification of the cardinal, had not yet been read, but that it may be opened tomorrow.
He promised to reveal the name if it is mentioned.
The issue could determine the number of cardinals who will vote for John Paul’s successor in the coming days. The number now stands at 117.
When John Paul created new cardinals in 2003, he announced that he was keeping one name secret, or “in pectore”, meaning “in the heart”. This is a formula that has been used when the Pope wants to name a cardinal in a country where the church is oppressed.
Vatican watchers have speculated that the prelate could be from China, where only a state-sanctioned church is recognised.
But Polish Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, 65, John Paul’s long-time private secretary who was at his bedside when he died, has also been mentioned as the possible secret cardinal.
| Related Stories: |
|
