Well, call me crazy, but I think Pierbattista Pizzaballa will be the next pope. He has studied Hebrew (apparently he is fluent), he is relatively unknown (good P.R.), and he has spent all his time in Jerusalem - thus he knows the Jew/Palestinian issue pretty well. He is an Italian, so he has that box checked. He is young (60, born in '65), and I am sure that the older cardinals will probably think that he can be manipulated - the young guy will listen to us. His parents were named Peter and Mary (interesting side note.) His birthday is April 21, the same day that Francis died. These last two points do not mean much, but interesting nonetheless. His name means "Peter Baptist Pizza Dancer," but I have read that 'Pizza' here does not mean the food necessarily.
He has only been a cardinal for two years, so the old cardinals might cross him off the list. But at the end of the day the modernists want to pull in all the Novus Ordo (Traddies), and this guy has the charisma to do it. He is Franciscan, and we have never had a Franciscan pope, so it adds to the intrigue. I remember in seminary Dr. White was speaking about St. Francis Assisi and the topic arose whether a Franciscan pope would restore the Church. Remember the story of St. Francis, "Francis, restore my Church." Plus, everyone loves Franciscans. It adds to the universal appeal.
