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Dolan: Rome church is my secret ‘joy’

A smiling Timothy Cardinal Dolan wowed worshipers at Our Lady of Guadalupe in Rome yesterday, saying he’s “full of joy to be here.”

“After St. Patrick’s — here’s my secret — this is my favorite. Don’t tell the people of New York, OK?” CNN reported Dolan as saying.

Dolan’s remarks at his beloved church, the house of worship cardinals hold services in when they are in Rome, drew cheers from the crowd.

It was his final Mass before the papal conclave, with 115 cardinal-electors, kicks off tomorrow.

He and others in the running to succeed Benedict XVI as the next pope fanned out across Rome to celebrate Mass at local parishes. The worship services provided a chance to see the cardinals up close and hear them preach two days before they enter the conclave.

Dolan waved to photographers — and even kissed a baby held out by the parents during his visit at Our Lady of Guadalupe.

He later called the conclave “a system of prayer,” adding, “It’s also a joy for the cardinals to pick a pope.”

And he said he can’t wait for it to begin, joking, “I’m ready to go home. I’ve run out of socks.”

When pushed by dogged reporters to reveal what kind of socks, he shot back that he needed green socks for St. Patrick’s Day because as a cardinal he already has more than enough red socks.