April 2, 2005 — As the world mourns the death of Pope John Paul II, a question looms large and 
near: Who will become the next leader of the Roman Catholic Church? 

Vatican watchers have been speculating for years, and while they may disagree on who they think 
the next pope may be, there is some consensus on the factors that will play in the decision. 

Much credence is being given to John Paul's appointment of all but a handful of the 109 
cardinals currently eligible to vote in the group that will choose his successor. As a result, 
some expect the next pontiff will follow very much in the mold of his predecessor. 

Vatican watchers also recognize that most of the Catholic Church's growth has come in the 
Third World — leading to speculation that the next pope may not be European, much less Italian. 

Then there is some consideration being given to the late pope's superstar status as a world 
leader. The presence of global media certainly means the next pope will have to be personable, 
multilingual and charismatic — but there's expected to be some disagreement on if he will have a 
strong political role. 

"This man, John Paul II, has been tremendously active as a world figure. He's been a voice 
throughout the world, he's the conscience of the world," said the Rev. Vincent O'Keefe, ABC News' 
consultant on Vatican issues. "Some would say, well, a pope shouldn't be in politics." 

Yet papal elections are never easy to handicap. There is a Roman maxim, "He who goes into the 
conclave as pope comes out a cardinal." 

The conclave of cardinals is responsible for electing a pope from their ranks. 

Picking a pope is a political game, and various factions in the cardinals' conclave are going 
to be agitating to control the next holy father's stances, particularly hot-button sexual and 
doctrinal issues like priestly celibacy and remarriage after divorce. 


A Move to Orthodoxy?

With the church still assimilating the changes from the Vatican II conference in the 1960s, 
such as moving the Mass from Latin to local languages, most Vatican watchers believe the majority 
of cardinals will back a candidate who, following in the steps of John Paul II, is cautious about 
changing church policy. 

Others say a centrist candidate might ultimately be most appealing. "They'll certainly want 
nobody who's going to be viewed as polarizing," said the Rev. John Newhouse, editor of the Catholic 
journal First Things. 




Named Entities Extracted:
Pope John Paul II - Person, Pope
Roman Catholic Church (Catholic Church) - the Christian Church based in the Vatican and presided over by a pope and an episcopal hierarchy
Vatican - Vatican, Vatican Palace -- (the residence of the Catholic Pope in the Vatican City)
Third World - Third World -- (underdeveloped and developing countries of Asia and Africa and Latin America collectively)
European - person - (a native or inhabitant of Europe)
Italian - person - (a native or inhabitant of Italy)
Rev. Vincent O'Keefe, ABC News' 
Roman - (relating to or characteristic of people of Rome; "Roman virtues"; "his Roman bearing in adversity"; "a Roman nose")
Vatican II conference 
Mass - 4. Mass -- ((Roman Catholic Church and Protestant Churches) the celebration of the Eucharist
Latin - (any dialect of the language of ancient Rome)
Rev. John Newhouse
Catholic journal First Things. 


Information Extracted:
1. Pope John Paul II died.
2. 109 cardinals currently eligible to vote in the group that will choose his successor
3. some expect the next pontiff will follow very much in the mold of his predecessor
4. speculation that the next pope may not be European, much less Italian
5. The conclave of cardinals is responsible for electing a pope from their ranks. 
6. Picking a pope is a political game
7. most Vatican watchers believe the majority of cardinals will back a candidate who, following in 
the steps of John Paul II, is cautious about changing church policy. 
8. Others say a centrist candidate might ultimately be most appealing


Keywords to search for, dead death died dying killed, murder, years old age of ##
Titles




Pope John Paul II, spiritual leader of Roman Catholic Church, dies

BY DAVID O'REILLY

Knight Ridder Newspapers

(KRT) - Pope John Paul II, 84, spiritual leader of the world's one billion Roman Catholics 
for a quarter of a century, died Saturday after a grave illness.

Traditional in matters of morality and theology while passionately progressive on behalf of 
the poor, immigrants and world peace, John Paul was an uncompromising moral voice and a 
giant on the world stage.

Even as ill health visibly overtook him, he carried his message around the world - slowed, 
but never stopped, by bullets, a tumor, a broken hip, arthritis, Parkinson's disease and 
advancing age.

As he took on such controversial topics as abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, 
communist oppression and capitalist excess, John Paul found himself allied with differing 
factions of the secular world. But his positions were grounded in his unwavering belief in 
the value of the human person.

In papal journeys spanning the globe, including five trips to the United States and a 
momentous visit to Israel in 2000, John Paul earned a reputation as the most evangelical 
pope in history. Images of him in his prime, stepping off airplanes, kissing the ground of 
each new nation he visited, or greeting cheering crowds are an indelible part of his legacy.

The national pride his 1979 visit aroused in his native Poland is also credited with 
hastening the collapse of communism across Eastern Europe.

In a historic Lenten Mass in 2000, he formally apologized for the wrongs of Catholics and 
Catholic Church leaders through the centuries, and during his long reign he tried to heal 
the many wounds of religious division.

He paid the first papal visit ever to a synagogue, concelebrated the first papal Mass with 
an Orthodox patriarch, and promoted reconciliation between the Catholic Church and 
Protestant and Orthodox denominations.

His strong views provoked controversy within and outside the Catholic Church, however. He 
once dismissed Buddhism as "not a religion," irked the Orthodox by seeking a larger 
Catholic presence in post-communist Russia, steadfastly opposed the ordination of women 
and married priests, suppressed liberal dissent, and proposed in 1995 that all 
denominations recognize the pope as supreme bishop of Christianity.

From the very start of his papacy, he warned that a secular, materialistic "culture of 
death" was eroding Western culture, as evidenced by its embracing of extramarital sex, 
birth control, drugs, abortion, euthanasia and divorce.

In the final stage of John Paul's pontificate, the church was rocked by scandal involving 
sexual abuse by priests. There were complaints that the Vatican had done too little, too 
late, to address the problem. In June 2002, the Holy See approved an unprecedented set of 
rules spelling out how American bishops should respond to cases of clergy sex abuse.

Many Catholics in Western Europe and North America chose to disregard his moral teachings, 
especially on matters of sexuality.

Because of his firm stances, however, John Paul II leaves behind a Roman Catholic Church 
more assertive on faith and morals than the institution he inherited. John Paul 
"strengthened the foundations of the church," said Cardinal Anthony J. Bevilacqua, retired 
archbishop of Philadelphia.

Agree with John Paul or disagree, he was impossible to ignore.

"When you do the reckoning of the 20th century, his will be one of the top five or 10 
names, along with the likes of Gandhi and Roosevelt and Churchill," said the Rev. Martin 
Marty, a leading Protestant historian of Christianity.