New Pope – Italian, African or Canadian?

On February 28, Benedict XVI, who was the 265th Pope of Rome, resigned. This is the first case within several centuries that a Pope leaves his post while he is alive. Now, the world is trying to guess who will be the next Pope.

Theoretically, any Roman Catholic, if he is a man and is not married, may become the Pope of Rome. However, within the last several centuries, only cardinals were elected popes. Who will be the next pope? Candidates review (PHOTO), Voice of Russia presents a biography review of the candidates:

Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson (born 11 October 1948) is a Ghanaian cardinal of the Catholic Church. He is the president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace since his appointment by Pope Benedict XVI on 24 October 2009. He had served as Archbishop of Cape Coast. He was elevated to the cardinalate by Pope John Paul II in 2003, and is widely regarded as papabile. Immediately following the announcement on 11 February 2013 of the impending resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, at least two bookmakers, Paddy Power and Ladbrokes, made Turkson the favourite to be elected as the new pope, with Paddy Power giving 2/1 odds. Turkson has also been mentioned in regards to St. Malachy's apocalyptic list Prophecy of the Popes, given that its final Pope is named Peter. Odds of 4/1 are given.

Marc Ouellet, PSS (born June 8, 1944) is a Canadian Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He is the present prefect of the Congregation for Bishops and concurrently president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America since his appointment by Pope Benedict XVI on 30 June 2010. Previously, he was archbishop of Quebec and primate of Canada. He was elevated to the cardinalate by Pope John Paul II, on 21 October 2003. He is the present prefect of the Congregation for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America since his appointment by Pope Benedict XVI on 30 June 2010. He succeeded Giovanni Battista Re, who had reached the age limit.

Francis Arinze (born 1 November 1932) is an Igbo Nigerian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He is Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, having served as prefect from 2002 to 2008. He is the current Cardinal Bishop of Velletri-Segni (succeeding Joseph Ratzinger, who became Pope Benedict XVI) since 2005. Arinze was one of the principal advisors to Pope John Paul II, and was considered papabile before the2005 papal conclave, which elected Benedict XVI.

Tarcisio Pietro Evasio Bertone, S.D.B. (born 2 December 1934) is an Italian prelate and a Vatican diplomat. A cardinal of the Catholic Church, he currently serves as Cardinal Secretary of State and Camerlengo, having previously served as Archbishop of Vercelli from 1991 to 1995, as Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, when Cardinal Ratzinger, the future Pope Benedict XVI, was Prefect, and Archbishop of Genoa from 2002 to 2006. Bertone was elevated to the cardinalate in 2003. On 10 May 2008, he was named Cardinal-Bishop of Frascati. Besides his native Italian, Bertone speaks fluent French, Spanish, German and Portuguese. He has some knowledge of English, although he is not fluent, and he can read Polish, Latin, Greek and Hebrew.

Angelo Scola (born 7 November 1941) is an Italian Cardinal of the Catholic Church, philosopher and theologian. He was appointed Archbishop of Milan by Pope Benedict XVI on 28 June 2011. He had served as Patriarch of Venice since 2002. He was elevated to the cardinalate in 2003. He is considered a contender to succeed Pope Benedict XVI, who has announced his resignation effective 28 February 2013

João Braz de Aviz (born 24 April 1947) is the current prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life since his appointment by Pope Benedict XVI on 4 January 2011. On 11 February 2013, Pope Benedict XVI announced that he will resign on 28 February 2013. Braz de Aviz is cited as one of the Papabili or potential popes. Voice of Russia, Wikipedia: At present, there are more than 200 cardinals in the entire Roman Catholic Church, and it is very hard to guess who of them will be elected the next pontiff. However, quite a few people find it very likely that the next Pope will be an Italian. Before the two last Popes, Pole John Paul II and German Benedict XVI, the papal throne had been occupied by Italians within many years, and now, Italian clergymen will probably try to revive this tradition, some people suppose. In an interview with the Voice of Russia, Executive Director of the Franciscan publishing house in Moscow Igor Baranov said: “It is very likely that the next Pope will be an Italian. The new Pope will be elected from a conclave of 117 cardinals. Out of them, 60 are Europeans, and out of these 60, the majority are Italians.” “One of the candidates who has good chances to win the elections is Angelo Scola, the 71-year-old archbishop of Milan,” Igor Baranov continues. “His Eminence Angelo has large experience in establishing public relations between the Church, on the one side, and politicians and journalists, on the other. Besides, Angelo Scola has initiated, and now heads, an organization that is trying to establish closer relations between Christians and Muslims. I believe that the decision to create such an organization was very timely.” The Voice of Russia has also interviewed Krzysztof Tomasik from the Polish Catholic Information Agency, and he said: “It is hard to predict with a 100% certainty who will be the next Pope. However, many of my colleague journalists say that if they had the right to vote, they would have voted for Milan’s Cardinal Angelo Scola. But there is also a big chance that the new Pope will be a non-European.” The next Pope may even be an African. There are two cardinals from Africa among the candidates, who, as experts say, have good chances to be elected - Francis Arinze from Nigeria and Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson from Ghana. “Both Cardinal Arinze and Cardinal Turkson are very worthy people,” Igor Baranov says. “At present, the number of Roman Catholics in Africa is rapidly growing. Meanwhile, in Europe, the number of Catholics is decreasing, and in the US and Latin America, it is staying at the same level.” Another non-European who is often mentioned among the candidates with good chances to win is the 68-year-old Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet, who is the prefect of the Congregation for Bishops. His Eminence Marc has a reputation of a traditionalist. For example, he is radically against abortions. At the same time, Cardinal Ouellet believes that the old ban for Roman Catholic clergymen to be married should be abolished. Russian Orthodox priests, of course, have no right to vote for or against a new Pope of Rome or give any orders to Roman Catholics. However, they have the right to say whom they would prefer to see as the new head of the Roman Catholic Church. Archpriest Dmitry Sizonenko from the Russian Patriarch’s Office says: “There are many friends of Russia among the current candidates for the papal throne – for example, Italian Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, who knows Russian culture and Russian Christian traditions very well and loves them. His Eminence Gianfranco has met several times with Metropolitan Illarion, who is responsible in the Russian Church for ties with other Christian denominations. If Gianfranco Ravasi becomes the Pope of Rome, this would be very beneficial for the relations between the Russian Church and the Roman Catholic Church.”Source: Voice of Russia

Read More........ → March 05, 2013

Berlusconi introduces his new First Lady – Francesca, 27

IT SEEMS that Silvio Berlusconi is back in the game in more ways than one. As the perma-tanned 76-year-old embarks on an unlikely bid to become prime minister of Italy for a fourth time, he has a new squeeze in tow who, at 27 years old, is almost 50 years his junior. Rumours that Berlusconi had been dating former TV showgirl Francesca Pascale were confirmed first by one his own MPs, Daniela Santanche, and then, according to The Times, in a "small item on page five of the Berlusconi family's newspaper, Il Giornale". Robert Fox: Don't write off the Demon king, Pascale, who was a pro-Berlusconi councillor in Naples and even founded a group called "Silvio We Will Miss You" when he was ousted from office in 2006, has been linked to Berlusconi since 2010, although they first met in 2004, when she was still a teenager. In 2011 her Smart car was spotted outside Berlusconi's Rome palazzo after his government collapsed. She has also been pictured alongside the former prime minister at AC Milan football matches. He owns the team. The Times also reports that Pascale and Berlusconi were spotted having dinner with his daughter, Marina, on Sunday night. At 46, Marina is old enough to be Pascale's mother. According to The Daily Telegraph, Pascale claims her life revolves around three things - her family, politics, and Signor Berlusconi."[She] is said to be jealous of the other women in his inner circle, including Mara Carfagna, a glamour model whom he appointed equal opportunities minister in his last government.” In the Italian media, Pascale has already been dubbed the country's new 'First Lady', even if her boyfriend is out of power currently. La Repubblica described Pascale as "enterprising" and "careerist" but others have queried her motives. "She, like all the others, was in search of success on TV and is now mysteriously in love with politics," sniffed blogger Elide Messineo. Meanwhile another former Berlusconi squeeze, teenage belly-dancer Karima El Mahroug, better known as Ruby the Heart Stealer, is back in the news after she missed a court date in Milan. Berlusconi is on trial for allegedly paying Roby for sex when she was underage. Her lawyer said she was in Mexico. Source: The Week UK

Read More........ → December 18, 2012

When in Rome

My character is of a hooker who makes prostitution seem like a desirable profession. She is very professional, she looks at this job with dignity, and she wants to be the best at it What character do you play in To Rome with Love? My character is of a hooker who makes prostitution seem like a desirable profession. She is very professional, she looks at this job with dignity, and she wants to be the best at it. She is convinced she is helping people, and is really necessary for society.  How would you describe the film? To Rome with Love is described as “a story about a number of people in Italy, some American, some Italian, some residents, some visitors, and the romances and adventures and predicaments they get into. How was it working with Woody Allen again? How did he approach you with the film? It was easier this time because I knew Woody, so I wasn’t so nervous because of all the stories you hear about him. He is peculiar and unique and different, but it is really a blessing to spend time with him, He is one of the funniest people in the world. Everyday he does something that surprises you, and that you will remember forever. What do you have to say of him as a director? Allen’s known for only giving his actors the basic info on the story and then just letting them run with it. He gives all this freedom, which is very liberating. He lets actors add their own flavour to the character. As I said, he is peculiar; you just ask him something and expect some answers that you could never think of. Mostly he avoids talking to his actors on the sets. How would you compare this outing with your earlier Vicky Cristina Barcelona? Maria Elena is a mad character more often seen in easy dresses, bare foot and fringed huge bags, more of a bohemian style. She is a restless character and has to create some chaos wherever she is. Whereas Anna is a well dressed, tucked in from head to toe, who thinks she is helping the society through prostitution. Anna is street smart, whereas Maria was mad and innocent. How do you normally approach your characters? I read my character with a neutral mind and try to think and visualise how the character could be better portrayed. What are the kind of scripts that catch your attention almost immediately? Scripts that have some meat or a role that convinces me. Would you say Hollywood films are now gaining precedence over European cinema comprising, French, Spanish, Italian, among others? And if it is, is it co-opting the local stories? I guess both are going hand in hand. English speaking people have now gone beyond Hollywood and the French, Spanish, Italians are taking interest in Hollywood. Is it difficult traversing Europe and America juggling your professional assignments? No,I always did one thing at a time and now I have different priorities so now may be just one or two movies a year will reduce the amount of travelling. What’s coming up next? My upcoming films are The Counselor (2013), I’m So Excited (2013), Twice Born (2012) are going to be released.  Have you worked in any of Hollywood’s magnificent animation films? What is your opinion of them? I have not yet worked in magnificent animation films but am looking forward to it, if I get an opportunity. Well, it’s really fun working in such projects, as maximum people like animated films especially children. It’s getting recognition because it’s entertainment for whole family so it’s really wonderful to be associated with it. Source: Screen India

Read More........ → September 19, 2012