ROME — Could Timothy Cardinal Dolan become the first American pope?
That was the talk of the Vatican after he was promoted to cardinal yesterday, with some calling Dolan “a rock star” within the Catholic Church.
Dolan was coy when asked about the possibility of being voted to succeed 84-year-old Pope Benedict XVI at a future conclave.
“Non parlo inglese,” Dolan said in Italian, which translates to, “I don’t speak English.”
The Italian daily newspaper Il Messaggero speculated that Dolan, 62, was on the short list for pontiff, calling him “an affable man” who “always smiles.”
Vatican observer John Allen said Dolan “just exudes charisma. Actually, it’s charisma on steroids.”
Dolan, as humble as ever, rejected the “rock star” label.
“When you talk about rock in the church, you mean Peter. He is the foundation of the church,” he said. “Not me.”
Allen said the chances of any American being named pope are slim.
“It’s unlikely that they would give the papacy to an American, because the United States is already a superpower,” he said.
“It’s the same reason why the head of the United Nations is never an American.”