Nightline: The Pope's Legacy

V A T I C AN  C I T Y, Feb. 21 -- Today the Parkinson's-weary Pope John Paul II inducted 44 new cardinals in the presence of most of the 140 already existing cardinals.

The ceremony is the dress rehearsal for the next conclave — the closed-door meeting in the Sistine Chapel in which the cardinals will elect the next pope from their own ranks.

So the next pope was almost certainly here — somewhere in the sea of scarlet, the vibrant cardinals' robes blazing in the bright sunlight in the ceremony in front of St. Peter's Basilica. One by one, the new cardinals went up to the pope, who was seated on his throne in golden raiments. They kneeled in front of him and donned the biretta, the odd-shaped red cardinal's hat — it has oval hole for the head with four squares above and short, arched red flanges rising from three of the four diagonals of the square top.

Then, after receiving their hats, they greeted each of the other cardinals — members of this most exclusive of clubs, who have two basic jobs: advise the pope and elect his successor. In these greetings between cardinals, nuances of serious politicking may be glimpsed — though they are always subtle and discreet.

Because the cardinals are unlikely to be gathered all together again like this before the time comes to elect the next pope, they were taking the occasion today to check each other out — see who looks like he might be up to the job, see who blinks, who has quiet strength, or gravitas, or unexpected brilliance.

Breaking With Tradition

There are few public surprises in the world as great as the one the voting cardinals will be ale to deliver from their conclave, whenever the time comes. Look at what they did in 1978. Imagine their glee just before John Paul II was presented to the world, as they contemplated the fact that they had just chosen the first non-Italian pope in 455 years, and the first Slavic pope ever.

And this next time? A Vietnamese? Nguyen Van Thuan is being seriously talked about — a saintly man who was imprisoned by the communists. He's also fairly old. Sometimes after a long reign (and John Paul's 23 years so far make his one of the longest) they like to choose an older man so as to have a short "breather" pontificate.