Papal conclave is shaping up to be contentious

ROME — The next pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church could be a Brazilian cardinal who gave refuge to striking workers pursued by police helicopters. It could be a Nigerian whose parents worshipped African gods, a bookish Viennese who speaks five languages, an Italian who speaks only his home tongue, or an Argentine who rides a bus to work in his diocese.

No one knows. Penetrating the secrecy around the cardinals who will select the next pope has been all but impossible.

For nine days since the funeral of Pope John Paul II, the 115 voting cardinals have been ensconced in secret deliberations to size up the biographies, positions and personalities of the candidates. Their meetings, following the practice of centuries, ended Saturday. The ring and seals of the last pope were smashed. Workmen laid out long tables for the cardinals beneath the muscular figures painted by Michelangelo on the ceiling and walls of the Sistine Chapel.

Today, the electors were set to move into a special hotel on the Vatican grounds. On Monday, their conclave opens at the Sistine Chapel, and they will start to vote for the 265th pope.

According to students of this and past pre-election periods, the conclave is shaping up to be a clash of two outlooks. The first emphasizes moral codes, right-to-life issues, a shoring up of the faith and an assault on industrialized countries for their consumerism, sexual license and secular leanings. It claims continuity with John Paul's teachings.

The second camp does not disagree on these matters but points the papacy in a different direction: toward social issues, helping the poor and dispersing Catholic decisionmaking from the Vatican to individual bishops and their regional associations.

Only two popes in the 2000-year history of the church served longer than John Paul's 26 years. Selecting someone to follow in the steps of a charismatic and energetic pope presents immense difficulties. Because of John Paul's vast travels and intervention in human rights and political affairs during the Cold War, the choice of the pope has significance far beyond the church.

"This is not a friendly match," Alberto Melloni, a historian of the Catholic church, said of the process. "One side holds up John Paul's banner in support of conservative positions — they're for continuity. The other wants a fresh start."