North America includes Central America and Caribbean, home to 4 of the 20 Cardinals attending from the region. The largest group, not surprisingly comes from the United States with 10, followed by Canada with 4, and Mexico with 2. When you stop to consider that fact that Mexico has the 2nd largest number of Catholics on the planet after Brazil, it is impossible to ignore the fact that power is not based in numbers by wealth. A paradigm that is certainly not unique to the Catholic Church, but perhaps a little more poignant when considering the stated mission of the faith.
Like South America, North American is a bit of a long-shot when it comes to the selection of the 267th Holy Roman Pontiff. However, there are some interesting folks in the mix. Two really stand out to me: Cardinal Michael F. Czerny, Society of Jesuits. It would be challenging to find a Cardinal with a more interesting resume. Born in Czechia when it was still part of Czechoslovakia in 1946. Born in a mixed religion family where most of his mother's Jewish family died in the concentration camps, his parents immigrated to Canada when he was just 3 years-old. He co-founded the Jesuit Centre for Social Faith and Justice in Toronto at the age of 33. 10 years later he was appointed Central America Universities Director of their Institute for Human Rights directly after the martyrdom, along with 10 others in El Salvador of its previous Director. Next he moved to Rome to work in the Jesuit Secretariat of Social Justice. In 2002 he founded the African Jesuit AIDS Network coordinating the vital work of combating AIDS in nearly 30 Sub-Saharan African nations. In 2016, Pope Francis appointed him under-secretary of the Migrants and Refugees Section of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. At the Age of 78, he might be one of those surprise winners with a likely mid-range tenure.
The other stand out and sometimes talked about Pope-to-be is Cardinal Robert Francis Provost, age 69. He would be the first Pope from the United States. His story is somewhat similar, but nearly as far ranging. Born in Chicago, he earned his initial degrees from Villanova University and then Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. He continued his academic studies in Rome. Beginning in 1985, he joined an Agustinian mission in Peru. For the next nearly 30 years, his life was spent between Peru and Chicago serving various roles in both places. In 2014, Pope Francis appointed him Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo in Peru, and a year later he was consecrated as the Bishop of Chiclayo. A post he held until 2023, when he became Archbishop Emeritus of Chiclayo, Peru and moved to Rome as Prefect of the Dicastery of Bishops.
Among the others you have a couple of more conservative leaning Bishops. Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI and is considered the de fecto leader of the American Delegation by conservatives in the Catholic Church. A staunch and petty oppressor of LGBTQ+ personhood and women's equality, Cardinal Dolan has been reported to be spending his pre-conclave time schmoozing younger Cardinals in the hopes of influencing their votes. Mexico is also sending a member of the conservative minority of Cardinals in the person of Cardinal Francisco Robles Ortega. Cardinal Ortega has largely built his reputation in the church around his opposition to abortion.
Of the newbies, Cardinal Frank Leo of Canada is the youngest member of the delegation. He is also a member of the class of Cardinals appointed by Pope Francis I on December 7, 2024. The other first timer of note is Cardinal Chibly Langlois of Haiti--the first ever Cardinal of this poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere.
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