Any Catholic can be elected Pope. Do you have any suggestions for the Vatican?

[Renew Deal]

Any Catholic can be selected as Pope. I think DU will have some valuable suggestions about the next Pope.

Mine are Steven Colbert, Joe Scarborough, and Joe Biden. Colbert would bring youth, vitality, and media savvy to the See.

DUers love Scabs. They post the latest from his show daily. He would be the more "conservative" option that DUers seem to tolerate.

My favorite is Joe Biden. He's a devout Catholic with high level executive govt experience. He was thinking about running for president. Why not Pope?

[graham4anything]

1. Justice Scalia.

Actually, his retirement is the announcment I am waiting for.

[rurallib]

5. How about Thomas? Then we'd never hear from the Pope again.

[yellowcanine]

39. Good one. And Obama would get a SCOTUS appointment.

[Johonny]

41. +1

[yellowcanine]

40. Scalia will hold out until the 2016 election, imo.

As will Thomas, even though he doesn't even like being on the SCOTUS.

[annabanana]

2. STEPHAN COLBERT!!!

Just think of it! He'd be a fuckin' GREAT Pope!

[longship]

3. Professor Kenneth Miller.

Biologist who is helping lead the way against the lunacy of creationism and its evil spawn, intelligent design.

[Ichingcarpenter]

4. Sinéad O'Connor

Just to shake things up.

[dembotoz]

16. she actually cares, would be brilliant

[RainbowSuperfund]

36. +++++ :)

[Tanuki]

6. Sister Simone Campbell would be an improvement.

But wait, you didn't really mean ANY Catholic, did you? More like any male Catholic...

[Renew Deal]

7. I think you are correct

My mistake.

[Kath1]

18. Yes she would!

Her and the other "nuns on the bus" are actually living their faith.

[s-cubed]

32. I like that idea. nt

[ananda]

8. LOL

My choice would be Caroline Kennedy.

However, the way I understand it, the pope has already appointed conservative cardinals to keep his criminal nazi anti-woman legacy in place.

The pump has been primed, the well has been well and truly poisoned. Sigh.

It would so nice to have a liberal Vatican IV, wouldn't it?

[Kath1]

10. That's an excellent suggestion!

"As a Catholic woman, I take reproductive health seriously, and today, it is under attack. This year alone, more than a dozen states have passed more than 40 restrictions on women’s access to reproductive health care. That’s not the kind of future I want for my daughters or your daughters. Now isn’t the time to roll back the rights we were winning when my father was president. Now is the time to move this country forward." - Caroline Kennedy at the Democratic National Convention.

She speaks for millions of Catholic women.

[Drahthaardogs]

20. There are more than a few Cardinals who are more "liberal" that Ratiznger wa/is

including the odds on favorite now Peter Turkson. Of course, being Catholic, they are all more conservative than most, so it is of course, relative.

[YoungDemCA]

38. Yeah, the Catholic Church hierarchy has never really been "liberal"...

..in any meaningful sense of the word.

Some members of the hierarchy have, however, been periodically more concerned with social justice than with their orthodox-conservative strict interpretations of Catholic dogma and doctrine.

[ScreamingMeemie]

9. My Dad.

Or my Aunt Carmel. (the only person I know on earth that walks the walk while talking the talk, yet never pushing her Faith on anyone)

[blueamy66]

11. Unless your Dad took a vow of celibacy after you were conceived,

he's not eligible.

And since women cannot be Catholic priests, your Aunt Carmel is SOL as well.

But I do appreciate your Aunt's faith and outlook.

[ScreamingMeemie]

12. Yes, this I know as I was raised Catholic. However,

it was my view on what exactly is wrong with the Church.

[blueamy66]

14. I agree that there are problems with the Catholic Church.

I went to parochial school for 13 years....yes, preschool too.

But I still find comfort in my faith.

And I'm sure, if my Mom was still alive, she'd be like your Aunt Carmel.

[ScreamingMeemie]

19. They don't make them anymore like your mom and my Aunt Carmel.

WannaBe (my daughter) went to parochial school, but my parents couldn't afford it for me and my brothers. Instead, we took the CCD bus every Thursday afternoon to our church for the last two hours of classes. The Protestant kids were so jealous.

[blueamy66]

24. I just found out that my Dad worked 2 jobs to keep me in Catholic School.

As a Junior, I was to be confirmed. My Mom was pissed that I wasn't given prep classes at school, but, instead had to go to classes at my parish at night to prepare. She even called our Bishop.

I would have sent my kids to Catholic School if I would have had any.

The pros SOOO outweigh the cons.

Hope the next Pope rocks like Pope John Paul II did. We need some change!

[muriel_volestrangler]

13. Tony Blair, Silvio Berlusconi, Bono, Lance Armstrong and Madonna

You can get odds on them all: http://www.oddschecker.com/politics-and-election/next-pope/winner

One bookie has Blair at only 100-1 ...

[Nye Bevan]

15. Martin O'Malley (nt)

[obamanut2012]

17. Martin Sheen

[JVS]

21. Joe Scarborough?

[Renew Deal]

22. Yes

He's very popular on DU. People always post what happens on his show.

[pinboy3niner]

23. Well, it WOULD get him off morning cable

Hmmmmm...

[magical thyme]

25. Mel Gibson

international name recognition and far more interesting "sermons" than most could give. Plus he's got the misogyny down pat. what women *don't* want.

[Gormy Cuss]

42. That'd be like the Tea Party takeover of the Vatican.

Even the conservative cardinals would be upset.

[Champion Jack]

26. Father Guido Sarducci

[eShirl]

30. +1

[HockeyMom]

27. Pope Richardus Santorum

[cbrer]

28. Lindsay Lohan. nt

[ButterflyBlood]

29. Paul Ryan would be most fitting with the church's current trend

nt

[eShirl]

31. Father Dougal McGuire

http://fatherted.wikia.com/wiki/Dougal_McGuire

[unapatriciated]

33. He must also be male and become a Bishop before becoming Pope.

Everyday Catholics do not get to participate in the process.

http://www.catholicnews.com/jpii/stories/concl03.htm

Only cardinals under the age of 80 can vote in the conclave; older cardinals do not enter the Sistine Chapel. In theory, any baptized male Catholic can be elected pope, but current church law says he must become a bishop before taking office; since the 15th century, the electors always have chosen a fellow cardinal.

[Brother Buzz]

34. Father Guido Sarducci

[NightWatcher]

35. Survivor Vatican....or Top Pope... or So You Think You Can Pontif....

[RZM]

37. Mike 'The Situation' Sorrentino

Actually anybody from 'Jersey Shore' would be fine with me.