Aussies want Pell to be next pope

Papal contender? ... Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney / Pic: Britta Campion Source: The Daily Telegraph

AUSTRALIANS are urging Cardinal George Pell to throw his mitre into the ring and become the nation's first pope.

But the bookies still think the 71-year-old Victorian needs divine intervention to land the top job.

With Benedict XVI retiring on February 28, there's a vacancy in the Vatican as God's right hand man - and some Aussies want Cardinal Pell to fill out an application.

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The hashtag #pellforpope has become reasonably popular on Twitter as a number of social media users back the Cardinal's candidacy and begin imagining what it would be like to have a first-ever Aussie Pope.

"The white smoke'll just be the barbie," one tweeted, referring to the smoke that shoots from the Sistine Chapel once a new pontiff is selected after the secret Conclave ballot.

A spoof George Pell Twitter account added: "The first Australian saint - now the first Australian pope. George's a shoe-in for the red shoes. Ozzy Ozzy Ozzy!".

While Cardinal George Pell is considered a $41 outsider, observers said yesterday he was "not without a chance" to replace the 85-year-old Pontiff, who is stepping down because of ill health.

A senior church member says Australian Catholics will be surprised to learn Pope Benedict XVI is resigning.

"If it were to happen it would be an extraordinary tribute to the church in Australia," commentator Professor Des Cahill said yesterday.

World Youth Day 2008 ambassador Ron Delezio reflected the mood of many grass-roots Catholics when he said it would be a great day for Australia if Cardinal Pell became pope: "The good thing about George is that he is a fit man and he stays on the line of the Catholic church.

"He is the equal of any of the cardinals over there (in Rome)."

But critics of the 71-year-old Archbishop of Sydney, including former NSW premier and World Youth Day organiser Kristina Keneally, believe Cardinal Pell has little chance of becoming pontiff: "Australians will remember Benedict's papacy fondly for Saint Mary MacKillop but he failed to deal with the sex abuse scandal.

"George Pell's response here has been directly out of the Vatican's play book. He will struggle to present a credible case to be part of the solution."

 Cardinal Pell, who will travel to Rome to take part in the election of the new pope, yesterday said Pope Benedict's resignation had surprised him but he expected to return to Sydney after the vote.

"I was shocked by the timing (of the resignation)," Cardinal Pell said.

Pope Benedict greets a young fan in Australia five years ago / Pic: Stephen Promnitz

"He'd always acknowledged this was a possibility. It is the decision of a humble man, an honest man, who wants the best for the church."

Cardinal Pell said it was a "misconception" that Benedict did not do enough to deal with the sex abuse scandal in the church: "Publicly he said he was sorry and he met with victims. He wasn't pushing anything under the carpet.

"We will have to see who the new pope is. Every pope represents a change. Whether it will be seen as a new era is a question we can't answer."

American commentator Father Robert Sirico nominated Cardinal Marc Ouellet from Canada, and Cardinal Angelo Scola, the Archbishop of Milan, as leading contenders - "or even Cardinal George Pell from Australia".

There is also speculation the next pope could be African - with Cardinal Peter Turkson from Ghana and Cardinal Francis Arinze of Nigeria receiving support.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard told parliament yesterday the announcement marked a historic moment: "Many Australians saw Pope Benedict during his visit here for the Church's World Youth Day in 2008 and I am sure many members remember the scenes and the crowds on that visit.

"Thousands of others travelled to Rome in 2010 to see him declare Mother Mary MacKillop as our nation's first saint; that was a time of jubilation across the nation. They will miss him."

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott, who studied to be a priest in the 1980s, said he understood the Pope's reasoning in deciding to resign.

"I suspect part of this Pope's decision is he was close to his predecessor and did see the impact of a visibly declining Pope on the functioning of the church," Mr Abbott said.Tim Fischer, Australia's first ambassador to the Holy See and a former deputy prime minister, said the resignation was not unexpected.

Catholics outside the Vatican and papal aides alike reacted with surprise Monday to Pope Benedict's announcement that he will step down from the papacy. Mana Rabiee reports.

"In 2010, in the middle of my posting, the Pope said 'yes' he could resign and in certain circumstances it would be his duty to resign," Mr Fischer told The Daily Telegraph.

Pope Benedict's momentous decision to step down surprises Catholics in Australia and Asia, with some saying they support his decision. Lindsey Parietti reports.

Footage shows St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican being struck by lightning just hours after Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation.

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