After the recent passing of Pope John Paul II, over a hundred Roman Catholic cardinals from around the world will gather together in a “conclave” in the Sistine Chapel next week to elect the new pope.

Although the cardinals will be allowed the luxury of returning to their rooms at night, a strict media and communications blackout will be in place until the decision has been made, with no contact with the outside world permitted.

Despite the “cone of silence” surrounding the proceedings, suggestions have been made that the favorite for the papal position may be Cardinal Francis Arinze, the 72-year old son of a Nigerian chief who held the forth-highest position in the Vatican up until last week.

	The cardinals believed to have the calibre, charisma and political clout to succeed to Pope John Paul II. If Cardinal Francis Arinze (Top-Right) is given the Papal position, he will be the first African pope in over 1,500 years. (AFP/Getty Images)

The celestial ceiling of the Sistine Chapel couldn’t be further removed from the mud-brick home where Arinze was born in the village of Eziowelle, southeast Nigeria. Raised in a family of the Ibo tribe, Arinze was baptised at the age of nine, and became the world’s youngest bishop in 1965, at the age of 32. Two years later he was ordained Archbishop of Onitsha, Nigeria. After being appointed cardinal by Pope John Paul II, he held the position of Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments from 2002, which he resigned from on 2 April this year.

If Cardinal Arinze is given the papal position, he will be the fourth African to lead the Holy See, the last being Gelasius I who died in 496 AD. Arinze is considered to be theologically conservative, but his skills and relations with other faiths and his desire to blend Catholic traditions with African culture have won him support from more progressive clergy members.

One thing that is not immediately obvious from his impressive record is his charm. One colleague said, “The beautiful thing about the cardinal is that he can say the hardest thing with a smile on his face and not offend people.”

Pope John Paul II was a Polish exception to the four centuries of Italians who held the post before him, so some in Italy will likely want the papal position returned to an Italian. However it is more than likely that an immigrant will be chosen, given the shift of the main body of Catholics away from Italy.

Whoever is chosen, it is likely that the conclave will pick the right man for the position, as they clearly did with Pope John Paul II.