Pope's nominee seen as probable successor

POPE John Paul has nominated a new cardinal to oversee the powerful Milan archdiocese, making him the leading candidate to succeed the ailing pontiff.

The Vatican said in a statement that 68-year old Dionigi Tettamanzi would replace Carlo Maria Martini as cardinal of Milan - one of the largest Catholic archdioceses in the world with some five million faithful and 1,000 parishes.

It is the first time in recent history a Pope has transferred a cardinal from one Italian diocese to another. The unusual move represents a promotion and Tettamanzi, a favourite of Pope John Paul, is in a strong position to become future head of the Catholic Church.

Tettamanzi, criticised last year by politicians for backing anti-globalisation protesters at a G8 summit of world leaders in Genoa, is seen in the Vatican as a moderate who could mediate between liberals and conservatives.

“This is a nomination which might open the door to the papacy”, La Stampa newspaper said yesterday, anticipating the news of his appointment to Italy’s richest diocese.

Pope John Paul is a Pole who was elected pontiff in 1978 and was the first non-Italian to hold the office in 455 years.

The Pope’s health has faded noticeably over the past year as his Parkinson’s disease takes its toll, fuelling speculation he might soon retire.

The Vatican has denied the rumours, making clear that he will remain Pope until his death, but talk about who might succeed him is still rife.

Tettamanzi was born in Milan in March 1934. He became a priest in 1957 and steadily worked his way up through the church hierarchy to be appointed cardinal of Genoa in 1998.

In the run-up to last year’s G8 summit, he called on wealthy nations not to forget the poor, urging policies in which “man does not exist for globalisation, but globalisation for man.”

“One African child sick with AIDS counts more than the entire universe”, he told a convention ahead of the G8.