Benedict Church at the crossroads leading to the downstream

Vatican City - Pope Benedict XVI surprise announcement Monday that he will resign on February 28, sets the stage for a battle that will likely determine the future course continuity church torture scandal and the collapse of faith in their traditional strongholds in the entire world.
Citing old age and infirmity, Benedict became the first pope in centuries of six to resign. Vatican officials had hoped to have a new pope in place of Easter, expressing shock at the decision that some say they have set up a year ago.

Having said that he examined his conscience "before God," Benedict XVI said he felt that he was not up to the challenge and lead a billion Catholics in the world. That task will fall to his successor, who will have to deal not only with the Roman Catholic church tainted by the sexual abuse crisis, and a Europe more secular and evangelical Protestant movement spread to the United States, Latin America and Africa .

Withdrawal from the war between the strongest conservative in the mold of Benedict, who are in favor of a faithful a small fire, and those who believe that the church extend its complaint in small but significant ways, the such as allowing divorced Catholics who marry without voiding union or release the restriction of the use of condoms, in an effort to prevent AIDS. There are reasonable candidates to work on issues such as ending celibacy for priests, ordination of women or.

Many Vatican observers suspect cardinals choose someone with good management skills and personal touch than bookish Benedict, someone who can expand the scope of new churches areas, especially for young people in Europe, which I now is largely irrelevant, Latin America and Africa, where evangelical movement speed violation.

"They want someone who can execute the idea of ​​the new evangelization, missionary Relighting the fire and I are doing, not only to lie in the theory," said John L. Allen, Vatican expert at the National Catholic Reporter and author of many books on the papacy. Someone who will be "The Church is a missionary in chief, a showman and salesman for the Catholic faith, which can take the reins of power over himself in his hands," he added.

The second major battle in the church on the demographic distribution of Catholics, who moved decisively in the developed world. Today, 42 percent of supporters coming from Latin America and 15 percent in Africa, compared to just 25 percent from Europe. This has led many in the church have to say that the new Pope is part of the world where membership is growing fast, while others say that it should be first and foremost a spiritual vision.

But, while most of the world's Catholics live outside Europe, cardinals come from Europe, showing a central tension: The Vatican is a global organization, it is often recorded as the Italian countryside.

Under normal circumstances, the Cardinals will go down in Rome after the death of Pope decision. In this case, the Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, the Pope will meet its obligations to February 28, 0800, with a potential successor is chosen Easter, which this year falls on March 31. But he said that the time for the election of a new pope is not a "notice, this is a hypothesis."

But it is a lot of speculation about who best fills the perceived needs of the church. Cardinal Angelo School, the powerful archbishop of Milan, Italy is considered strong competitor. Conservative theologian with an interest in Bioethics and the Catholic-Muslim relations, he is known for his intellect, his background in the same theological tradition as Benedict, his media savvy and his strong ties with the Italian political establishment. Vatican experts to celebrate the popular touch, even if his works are often dark.

Cardinal Marc Ouellet, dogmatic theology, and Canada, many considered Favorite Benedict, who was appointed head of the Vatican Congregation for the bishop influence to help elect bishops around the world. Critics in his native Quebec, he said that he was at odds with more progressive provincial bishops, but this is not necessarily a shortcoming in current church.