Will Timothy Dolan or Sean O’Malley Become the First American Pope?

The front page of today’s Inky contemplates the possibility of an American pope, something considered taboo until now.

Officially, the cardinals gathered in Rome aren’t talking, so the names come from Vaticanisti, journalists who regularly cover the Vatican and lay claim to inside sources. Cardinal Timothy Dolan, 63, of New York, a gregarious extrovert whose homilies are soul-stirring, is reportedly backed by some powerful Italians who long for a return to the style of Pope John Paul II. Boston’s Cardinal Sean O’Malley, a Capuchin who preaches well in five languages and cleaned up after sex-abuse disasters in three dioceses, has media interest though it’s not clear if he has a voting bloc.

John Allen of the National Catholic Reporter has proposed that if the cardinals are open to an American, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, archbishop of Washington, best fits the criteria that many have indicated they want.

The conclave to pick a successor does begin today:

The work to elect a successor to retired Pope Benedict XVI begins in earnest Tuesday, when the cardinals charged with the task gather in Vatican City for the papal conclave.

Just a few hours after moving into Santa Marta, their residence at the Vatican for the duration of the process, the cardinals entered a morning Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica.

The service — open to the public — is the last public event featuring the 115 cardinals who will choose the new spiritual leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics.

And if you missed it, the New York Times has this great piece explaining how the conclave works.