Origin of next Pope 'irrelevant'

The head of one of the world's largest Roman Catholic archdiocese and thought to be a leading Latin American contender to succeed Pope Benedict XVI said neither nationality nor age should matter in picking the next pontiff.

Brazil's Cardinal Odilo Pedro Scherer, 63, shrugged off questions about whether this might be the moment for a Latin American Pope and whether he might be the man to take the role.