Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça is one of the most talked about names to succeed Pope Francis and is appointed as the most influential future religious leader in the world.
The information is held on a new online platform – Collegio Cardinalizio: Una Rassegna (The College of Cardinals: A Review) – created to help vote for the next most influential religious leader in the world. A pioneering initiative that responds to the requests of cardinals, clerics, and laity.
The 59-year-old Madeiran, named cardinal by Pope Francis, appears prominently on a list made up of 140 cardinal electors – most of whom are not even European.
Tolentino is seen as an example of an emerging Catholic figure, with the particularity of being a poet, lover of literature, and Bible scholar. He is closely linked to the progressive wing of the church and has a close affinity with Pope Francis.
The platform also describes that Tolentino de Mendonça attracted considerable controversy during his priestly life, namely for sympathizing with heterodox and tolerant approaches to homosexuality, although he never publicly spoke out against the Church’s teaching in this area.
Of the 140 cardinals entitled to vote in the next conclave, 110 were appointed by Pope Francis, 24 by Pope Benedict XVI, and six from the reign of John Paul II.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
