Why Pizzaballa, Jerusalem’s first cardinal and an advocate for peace, could be a long-shot contender for pope

ON RELIGION: Passing words of a 'pope able' cardinal from Jerusalem

In the spring of 2023, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem addressed a conference about a dizzyingly complex subject – Christianity in the ancient Middle East, as well as the future of its many churches and traditions.

Would Cardinal Pizzaballa's election fulfill this prophecy about the 'last pope'?

Father James Altman and I discuss this week's conclave and how Cardinal Pizzaballa's election may fit into St. Malachy's prophecy of the popes.

From our special envoy in Rome, he has no rosary hanging from his mirror, no image of the padre Pio glued to his dashboard: and yet the taxi driver, who inevitably calls himself Pietro, who takes us from Fiumicino airport to the centre of Rome, at the end of the day on Monday, May 5, has a very fixed idea about the next pope. For him, it will be Cardinal Pizzaballa, the Italian who is the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem: "The election of a pope, it…

Bergamasco, 60 years old, reports the "Mother Church" after centuries among the voters of a Pope. AGerusalemme for now 35 years, Franciscan friar always in dialogue with the Jewish world but also with Islam, has been for 12 yearsCustode of the Holy Land. In the many tragic moments of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict - including the last two years - he urged to cultivate the freedom of peace, without letting himself be crushed by hatred. ...

By Noga Tarnopolsky for CNN Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, looms large in the dark halls of the ancient stone patriarchate in this troubled corner of the world. He moves quickly, with long, deliberate strides, the seams of his black cassock billowing like a swimmer's stroke before his arrival. He was born in Bergamo, northern Italy, but after 35 years immersed in the concerns of his parishes, he says, "I have…

Why Pizzaballa, Jerusalem’s first cardinal and an advocate for peace, could be a long-shot contender for pope

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, has emerged as an intriguing possibility as cardinals prepare to elect the next pope.