VATICAN CITY — Roman Catholic cardinals fly a lot these days and land in the unlikeliest places.
Take Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi, archbishop of Genoa, Italy. He strayed from his territory last month to promote ecumenical dialogue between Catholics and Orthodox Christians in newly democratic Serbia.
Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos of Colombia, the Vatican official who oversees the clergy, turned up in New York in October, marveling before an assembly of Latino priests about the growing clout of Western Hemisphere Catholics within the church.
And what was Francis Arinze, the Nigerian cardinal who handles the Vatican's relations with Islam, doing that month in Massachusetts? He led a well-publicized forum for theology majors and blessed the faithful during Mass at Jesuit-run Boston College.
With Pope John Paul II ailing and nearly 81, all three men are thought to aspire to his throne, but none will dare say so. As members of the College of Cardinals, the exclusive club that elects the pope from its own ranks to serve for life, they are inhibited by a 7th century code of silence on the topic of succession.
Instead, a subtle, undeclared campaign is underway within the elite of Catholicism's divided flock to fill what John Paul has turned into the most visible and powerful pulpit on Earth. The field is wide open, with no apparent favorite among the 10 or more men believed to be jostling for the papacy.
On the lecture circuit and at Mass, in press interviews and private meetings with fellow cardinals, they aim for high profiles, good vibes and one-upmanship--but also the right dose of humility, to conceal any hint of ambition.
"Those who really desire to be pope, I don't think they would be a good pope," Cardinal Godfried Danneels of Belgium, another purported contender, said in an interview. "That is an impossible job. Those who see what the job is, I think they say to themselves, 'Not me, Lord, not me.' "
Lowering his voice to a near-whisper, he added, "If your colleagues are asking you to do it, if they think you can do it . . . you have to respond yes."
Speculative lists of papabili, Italian for "pope-ables," have circulated among Vaticanologists and in the media since the mid-1990s, changing as the gossip does. The field expanded last month when John Paul named 44 new cardinals, who are being installed today in St. Peter's Square.
