History will be made, but not now

It is Pope Francis and his papacy that will define history, not his election, writes Frederick Kempe

I HAVE covered far happier times for the Vatican. I reported on John Paul II’s pilgrimage through his native Poland three decades ago, and I have been thinking about this while watching the Catholic Church’s 115 cardinal electors pray for divine inspiration on this historic day in Rome’s Sistine Chapel.

The cardinals will need every ounce of God’s help to determine who among them has the leadership and managerial wherewithal to both fix their scandal-ridden Church and inspire a needy world. They can take some solace from the 1978 papal conclave held after John Paul I’s sudden death following just 33 days in office.