So You're Saying There's A Chance?

Last night I'm flipping channels and see the swearing of oaths by the college of cardinals. From what I could gather, they were formally stating that they were truly seeking God's will in their vote for the next pope.

Since I'm not Catholic and have little knowledge of what was going on I decided to watch the proceedings and learn a little something. The announcers were introducing each man as he stepped to the open Bible and made his vow, including his age and where he was from and the years of service.

65. Rome. A priest for 33 years.
62. Turkey. A preist for 21 years.
68. Milan. A priest for 40 years.
And on and on with stuff like that.

And then they fired off the name of a 56-year-old guy from Baltimore, Maryland who had been an archbishop of something-or-other for a long time. And then the thought struck me that anyone in that room could be the next pope (again, please correct me if I'm wrong).

I know it's a long-shot, but I'm pulling for the 56-year-old guy from Baltimore, Maryland who had been an archbishop of something-or-other for a long time. I think an American in the papacy would be about as big a shake-up as they could get...and I'm a big fan of the underdog. Like I said, I'm not Catholic and I wouldn't know what was best for their church or their leader.

But I wonder what the headlines around the world would be like and what changes an American would make. I'd love to see that guy get elected simply for those two reasons alone.