How the Church elects a new pope

Cardinal Angelo Scola, 71, Archbishop of Milan
22 February 2013, 9:00

The current front-runner according to many Italians. He is close to Pope Benedict and has an impressive curriculum vitae that includes serving as rector of the Lateran University and bishop in two previous dioceses, including as Patriarch of Venice. He is also one of the first priests to be ordained, in 1970, exclusively for service in Comunione e Liberazione (CL), although his supporters have tried to argue that his membership of the movement ceased once he became a bishop. With access to CL funding, he has been a creator of ambitious university and cultural programmes. One of his major accomplishments has been to establish the Oasis Foundation, which brings Muslim and Christian scholars together to brainstorm on the future of the Mediterranean world. But he is said to have opponents within the Roman Curia, and at 71 the clock is ticking.