Sir, – In the run-up to the 2005 papal election conclave my guess – which I put on public record – was that, due to their superior knowledge, looks and manners, either 77-year-old Cardinal Ratzinger or 60-year-old Cardinal Schönborn would be elected pope, and that the former would probably be elected for age reasons.
The reliable John Allen reported in 2005 that Cardinal Schönborn played the leading part in the mustering of votes for Cardinal Ratzinger. My guess is that he will be elected this time.
That said, my guess also is that he won’t help us much until he answers adequately this question: “What risks do we run if we don’t attend Sunday Mass and don’t heed key Catholic moral rules?” Inadequate answering of that question by their local clergy is arguably the prime reason why, for example, about 95 per cent of Dublin’s Catholic males don’t attend Sunday Mass. – Yours, etc,