After joking to reporters outside the White House Wednesday, April 30 that he’d like to be the next pope, President Donald Trump later suggested a more serious − and more qualified − candidate to assume the papacy following Pope Francis’ recent death.
“I must say, we have a cardinal that happens to be out of a place called New York who’s very good, so we’ll see what happens,” Trump said, presumably referring to Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York.
Pope Francis, 88, died on Easter Monday, April 21, after a weeks-long illness, sparking a flurry of activity and conjecture as one of the world’s oldest and most far-reaching institutions prepares to choose a new leader.
Inside the papal conclave: The step-by-step process used to elect the new pope
Though Trump later told reporters he doesn’t have a preference for who gets chosen as Francis’ successor, his comments have raised questions over the possibility. There has never been an American pope in the Roman Catholic Church’s 2,000-plus years of existence. However, Dolan, among the nation’s most recognizable Catholic figures, is a long shot candidate for the job. Reuters reported last week that he is not on the likely shortlist of candidates, though fellow American Cardinal Joseph Tobin, archbishop of Newark, New Jersey, is.
Though there have been surprises during conclaves in the past, an American pope is not an expected outcome.
Who is Cardinal Timothy Dolan?
The 75-year-old led prayers for both of Trump’s presidential inaugurations and regularly appears on news and talk shows and on social media, earning him a reputation for charisma and media-savvy.
He was named Archbishop of New York in 2009 and was appointed to the College of Cardinals in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI.
According to his official biography, he was ordained to the priesthood in his native Missouri in 1976, and in the decades since has served as an associate pastor, secretary to the Apostolic Nunciature in Washington, D.C., a vice-rector and professor of Church History and an adjunct professor in theology.
Dolan has served as president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and as chair of the Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities and the of the Bishops’ Committee for Religious Liberty. He was a chairman of Catholic Relief Services, and is a current member of the Board of Trustees of The Catholic University of America.
More: How did Pope Francis die? No suffering, but pope went into coma before stroke: Vatican
What are the requirements to become pope?
Any baptized, Catholic man is eligible to be elected pope. Usually, they are also members of the Catholic Church’s College of Cardinals, and most cardinals are also bishops.
But should a non-bishop is chosen, he would be ordained a bishop before becoming pope.
10 American Cardinals among group set to choose the next pope
The Catholic Church’s College of Cardinals consist of the organization’s most senior members, and act as interim head of the church until a new pope is selected. This group of cardinals will convene to choose the new pontiff. Only those under age 80 are eligible to vote, and of the church’s 252 cardinals, 135 will serve as electors, according to the Vatican.
Dolan is among the 10 American cardinals who will participate in the conclave, the highly secretive and ritualized event to determine Francis’ successor.
Contributing: J. Staas Haught, Sudiksha Kochi and Mike Snider, USA TODAY
Kathryn Palmer is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at [email protected] and on X @KathrynPlmr.
