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b'Summary of today\\u2019s show: The media rumors are swirling about who\\u2019s in the running for the papacy and the speculation this past weekend swirled around Cardinal Se\\xe1n in journalistic chatter around Rome. Scot Landry and Fr. Michael Harrington discuss the talk and the qualities that might make Cardinal Se\\xe1n a consideration in the conclave. Then on the day before The Light Is On For You begins again for Lent, they discuss the Sacrament of Reconciliation and God\\u2019s mercy and love extended for the forgiveness of those who seek Him.\\nListen to the show:\\n\\nWatch the show via live video streaming or a recording later: \\nToday\\u2019s host(s): Scot Landry\\nToday\\u2019s guest(s): Fr. Michael Harrington\\nLinks from today\\u2019s show:\\n\\n\\n\\n\\nToday\\u2019s topics: Buzz about Cardinal Se\\xe1n as papabile and the Sacrament of Confession\\n1st segment: Scot Landry welcomed everyone to the show. He talked about a story over the weekend from John Allen, who covers the Vatican for the National Catholic Reporter newspaper and is considered one of the leading Vaticanists in the US. Allen wrote that the \\u201cbuzz grows in Rome\\u201d for Cardinal Se\\xe1n.\\nFirst, Scot played a clip from Cardinal Se\\xe1n at a press conference last week on what he\\u2019s looking for in the next pope as he looks at the other cardinals to choose from in the upcoming conclave.\\n\\nHe listed the things the new pope should have, which ends up being essentially a list that would make a superpastor:\\n\\nA leader\\nwith deep faith\\nenergy\\nPassion\\norganizational skills\\ncultural experience\\nwho inspires the young\\nfacility with languages\\n\\nScot and Fr. Michael Harrington both agreed that Cardinal Se\\xe1n himself has many of these same qualities. Fr. Mike said he is also not afraid to introduce new programs and to be an evangelizer in new ways to introduce the faith. Scot said he\\u2019s happy and willing to try new things. Some have worked out well, others less so. Fr. Mike said he\\u2019s often the first to try new initiatives, like setting up the first blog by a cardinal, the first to set up a catholic media secretariat in his diocese, the first to take on a pastoral plan the size of Disciples in Mission, focused on evangelization.\\nScot said he received many emails from friends today telling him about Allen\\u2019s story. Here\\u2019s what Allen wrote:\\n\\nFor a long time, conventional wisdom held that an American could not be elected to the Throne of Peter because you can\\u2019t have a \\u201csuperpower pope.\\u201d Not only do the Americans already have too much power, or so the theory went, but a shadow would hang over the papacy as part of the world would suspect its decisions were being secretly crafted by the CIA.\\nIn the early 21st century, however, some of the air has gone out of that bias, because the United States is no longer the world\\u2019s lone superpower. As a result, for the first time an American seems thinkable.\\nWhile the U.S. media has focused on Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York as the most plausible, if still remote, American prospect, another name has generated a surprising degree of buzz in the Italian press: Cardinal Sean O\\u2019Malley of Boston, partly on the strength of his profile as a reformer on the church\\u2019s sexual abuse scandals, and partly because of his Capuchin simplicity as a perceived antidote to the Vatican\\u2019s reputation for intrigue and power games.\\nHere\\u2019s a sampling of what\\u2019s been in the Italian papers over the last few days vis-\\xe0-vis the 68-year-old Capuchin cardinal of Boston.\\nMarco Politi\\nOne of Italy\\u2019s most-cited Vatican writers, Marco Politi gave an interview on Feb. 14 to the Suddeutsche Zeitung, the main daily in Munich, in which he was asked who the favorites are heading into the conclave. He replied: \\u201cThere are no favorites. It\\u2019s not like 2005, when there was a clear candidate in Ratzinger and a strong contrast in Martini. The situation is very fragmented, and there are many papabili. There\\u2019s Cardinal Scola of Milan, and Cardinal Ouellet who heads the Congregation for Bishops. There are candidates from South America, as well as outsiders such as Cardinal O\\u2019Malley of Boston and Cardinal Erdo of Budapest. There\\u2019s not yet any aggregation of votes.\\u201d\\nAGI\\nThe \\u201cItalian Journalistic Agency,\\u201d or AGI, ran a piece three days ago on the church\\u2019s \\u201cchampions\\u201d in the fight against clerical abuse, lauding O\\u2019Malley for \\u201crestoring credibility to the church after the \\u2018escape\\u2019 to Rome of his predecessor, Bernard Law, pursued by legal causes seeking compensation (to compensate the victims, O\\u2019Malley sold the archbishop\\u2019s residence and moved to live in a small room at the seminary).\\u201d\\nArena\\nPublished in Verona, Arena had a run-down today of probable candidates for the papacy from outside Italy. \\u201cIn the United States, the most likely figures are Timothy Dolan, the exuberant archbishop of New York, and Sean O\\u2019Malley, the archbishop of Boston,\\u201d it said.\\nIl Giornale\\nLast Tuesday, the day after Benedict\\u2019s surprise announcement, Il Giornale published a run-down of possible popes. \\u201cThere are diverse names of non-Europeans,\\u201d it said. \\u201cAmong them, the name of the Capuchin archbishop of Boston, Sean O\\u2019Malley, is prominent, who resolved a situation rendered fairly dramatic not only by sexual abuses committed by priests but also by the cover-ups by his predecessor, Bernard Law. In recent weeks, among other things, Benedict XVI called to Rome as Promoter of Justice in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, with responsibility for these cases, the \\u2018right hand\\u2019 of O\\u2019Malley, Father Robert Oliver.\\u201d\\nLa Stampa\\nWriting yesterday, Vatican-watcher Giacomo Galeazzi said that the candidate \\u201cindicated from the American bishops seems to be the courageous Capuchin friar O\\u2019Malley, the only cardinal, with the Archbishop of Vienna Christoph Sch\\xf6nborn, to publicly defend the victims of pedophilia (like Pope Benedict, who gave priority to efforts to render justice to those injured both in the soul and the body, and to relieve their suffering as much as possible) when the dean of the College of Cardinals, Angelo Sodano, defined the scandal as \\u201cpetty gossip\\u201d in an embarrassing salute to the pope in 2010.\\u201d\\nPaolo Rodari\\nThe well-regarded Vatican writer Paolo Rodari treated O\\u2019Malley at greatest length in a blog post last Saturday. \\u201cThere are many who ask themselves if the next pope will be a Capuchin,\\u201d Rodari wrote. \\u201cOn paper, the Capuchins have the numbers for giving the papacy a turning point. They\\u2019re close to the people, they don\\u2019t have a \\u2018clerical\\u2019 mentality, they emphasize collaboration with the laity, and they have an attractively simple model of life. Those are three characteristics cut out for a church that\\u2019s paid a high price for its scandals. \\u2026 O\\u2019Malley is a humble prelate, which is no bad thing in a Roman Curia that\\u2019s suffering not just a few financial difficulties. It\\u2019s no accident that he\\u2019s a Prince of the Church who prefers his simple brown Capuchin habit to the sartorial splendor to which his office entitles him. He\\u2019s a cardinal who loves to dialogue with his faithful through Twitter, and uses his personal blog as an important instrument not only of communication but for meeting everybody, the faithful and even non-believers.\\u201d\\n\\nScot said these are strong endorsements and credible articles by six leading publications in Italy. Fr. Mike said it shows anything is possible. He said when the cardinals sit down, they will discuss what are the emerging issues at this time for the Church and what does the Church need now. Scot said this all brings it out of the realm that a Pope Sean is a non-starter. He said there\\u2019s a greater than zero chance of an American pope this time for various reasons.\\nJohn Allen continues:\\n\\nI can confirm the O\\u2019Malley buzz from personal experience. Right now, it\\u2019s tough for an American journalist to walk into the Vatican Press Office without fielding questions from colleagues about him.\\nAt the moment, this is basically journalistic chatter. The real action will begin next week, when most of the cardinals will be in town for Benedict XVI\\u2019s big farewell on Feb. 28. We\\u2019ll see then if O\\u2019Malley has serious traction as a candidate.\\nAs the cardinals from other parts of the world start to take a serious look, they\\u2019re likely to see both promising qualities in O\\u2019Malley and question marks.\\nOn the plus side, many cardinals have said they\\u2019d like a pope with a global vision, sensitive to the church outside the West where two-thirds of Catholics today live. O\\u2019Malley has a Ph.D. in Spanish and Portuguese literature, and has long experience of ministering to both Hispanics and Haitians. He worked in Chile as a priest, and served as the Bishop of St. Thomas in the Caribbean. He\\u2019s deeply attached to many of the devotions popular at the Catholic grassroots across the developing world.\\nO\\u2019Malley has at least a basic command of Italian, seen by most as a prerequisite for serving as the Bishop of Rome.\\nO\\u2019Malley\\u2019s simplicity isn\\u2019t just a matter of wearing his brown habit, or insisting on being called \\u201cCardinal Sean.\\u201d By reputation he\\u2019s not given to building empires or playing political games, and on the back of the Vatileaks mess, ongoing questions about the Vatican Bank, and other perceived Vatican imbroglios, that profile could strike some cardinals as just what the doctor ordered.\\nDespite his overall image as a moderate, O\\u2019Malley is by-the-book when it comes to matters of Catholic orthodoxy and is especially committed to the pro-life cause, making him attractive to cardinals concerned that the church hold the line on its positions in the culture wars.\\nO\\u2019Malley is also passionate about the \\u201cNew Evangelization,\\u201d expressed not only in his use of Twitter and blogs, but in his general approach to the role of a bishop.\\nCertainly O\\u2019Malley\\u2019s image as a house-cleaner on the sex abuse crisis doesn\\u2019t hurt. Ironically, the best spokesperson for the O\\u2019Malley campaign at the moment may be his fellow American, Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles, who, fairly or not, has become the latest symbol of the church\\u2019s failures. Controversy over his presence at the conclave has spread across the Atlantic; this week the widely read Italian magazine Famiglia Cristiana has a cover package on \\u201cThe Mahony Case,\\u201d including an on-line poll for readers to vote as to whether Mahony ought to participate in the election of the next pope.\\nIn that context, many cardinals may feel special pressure to pick a pope seen as having \\u201cclean hands\\u201d on the sex abuse crisis.\\nThose positives, however, come intertwined with some features of O\\u2019Malley\\u2019s biography that may give cardinals pause.\\nFor one thing, O\\u2019Malley has zero experience in the Vatican. While that means he\\u2019s not identified with its recent meltdowns, it may also mean some cardinals will wonder if he\\u2019d be out of his depth trying to get the place under control, perhaps overly dependent on veteran insiders to get things done.\\nFor another, O\\u2019Malley is a sensitive soul who occasionally has seemed to struggle under the burden of office. In 2004, facing not only sex abuse litigation but also a painful round of parish closings, he put out an anguished letter to Boston Catholics in which he wrote: \\u201cAt times I ask God to call me home and let someone else finish this job, but I keep waking up in the morning to face another day of reconfiguration.\\u201d\\nOn the heels of a pope who just resigned because he felt he no longer had the strength to do the job, some cardinals may wonder if O\\u2019Malley possesses the steel to withstand the burdens of the papacy.\\nIt\\u2019s worth noting that O\\u2019Malley\\u2019s record on the abuse crisis has not played to universal praise. The victims\\u2019 group SNAP faulted him for delaying release of the names of accused priests in Boston, asserting that O\\u2019Malley \\u201cbelatedly and begrudgingly posted a very partial list with minimal information, using hair-splitting excuses for not being more prompt or thorough.\\u201d\\nFinally, while 34 previous popes have come from religious orders, there hasn\\u2019t been one since the 19th century, and there\\u2019s never been a Capuchin. In some circles, there\\u2019s a belief that under ordinary circumstances popes ought to come out of diocesan structures rather than religious orders, on the grounds that the diocese represents the ordinary pastoral setting most people experience. In addition, the Capuchins themselves have usually held that they really shouldn\\u2019t become bishops at all except in mission territories. Among the keenest devotees of tradition in the College of Cardinals, there might be some reluctance along these lines.\\n\\nScot recapped that Allen talks about Cardinal Se\\xe1n\\u2019s strengths, including his connection to other cultures. He said Cardinal Se\\xe1n comes alive when he speaks with and greets people from other countries and new immigrants. Fr. Mike said Cardinal Se\\xe1n has the heart of an evangelist and loves working with young people. On the other hand, he said Allen notes that this is all journalistic chatter and in the conclave, it will be the Holy Spirit who cuts through politics and chatter to select the right pope.\\nScot said he confesses to being partial to Cardinal Se\\xe1n, to respect his style of leadership, and how he dealt with the sexual abuse crisis, especially in being pastoral toward victims. One of the best ways to make disciples of all nations is to go out and love them and Cardinal Se\\xe1n exemplifies that.\\nScot said there were three things he didn\\u2019t like about the column. First, it is the use of a political word to describe Cardinal Se\\xe1n as a moderate. He is completely orthodox, not trying to be ideological in anyway. Second, on the criticism of SNAP against Cardinal Se\\xe1n, Scot has never heard them say a positive word about a bishop. Third, that as a religious Cardinal Se\\xe1n doesn\\u2019t have diocesan experience, given that he\\u2019s been a diocesan bishop for almost 30 years. Fr. Mike confirmed that Cardinal Se\\xe1n has a keen sense of how to be a diocesan priest with a pastor\\u2019s heart.\\nScot asked listeners to pray for Pope Benedict and all the cardinals, but also to pray specifically for Cardinal Se\\xe1n now as this article places a spotlight on him that he doesn\\u2019t want, which unleashes both cheerleading and criticism from all sides.\\n2nd segment: Scot said starting tomorrow and for all the following Wednesday of Lent, all parishes and chapels of the archdiocese will be open for confession from 6:30pm to 8pm as part of the Light Is On For You initiative. Come back to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Bishop Robert Hennessey, an auxiliary bishop of Boston, leads this effort.\\n\\nScot emphasized that the website TheLightIsOnForYou.org is a resource for much information on Penance. He noted some of the great lines that Bishop Hennessey gives in the video. He noted that confession is liking hitting the reset button. He said the story of the Prodigal Son is really the story of the Loving Father, who sprints out to his son who has been away, willing to forgive the ways he has hurt him. Fr. Mike said confession is one of God\\u2019s greatest gifts to His Children. The bishop mentioned the excuses people give about being away so long or being embarrassed or thinking God can\\u2019t forgive them, and Fr. Mike has heard them all. The Church across the country is embracing this initiative to tell people that they\\u2019re wrong about this.\\nFr. Mike said if you\\u2019re hearing those voices in your heart, that is not the voice of the Holy Spirit, but of the devil. He says every listener should go take advantage of the great gift of Reconciliation. The priest is waiting to receive and give you the loving mercy of God. Scot said if you don\\u2019t know the prayers or what to do the priest is there to help you.\\nFr. Mike related a story of going to a juvenile delinquent institution. He heard the confessions of teens who had done some very bad things. As he tried to offer forgiveness, each would deny that God could forgive them and he wondered how he could break through to convince them that God would forgive them. Eventually, he started to ask if they were greater than God. When they would say No, he told them that no matter what their mountain of sins, God is greater than any sin they could commit.\\nScot said God is always reaching out to us to call us home to the confessional, no matter how long we have been away from him. Now, Scot shared CatholicTV\\u2019s Fr. Robert Reed\\u2019s message about confession:\\n\\nScot said we can\\u2019t be the person God has created us to be if we\\u2019re burdened by all the sins we\\u2019ve accumulated since our last confession. Fr. Mike said so many are coming back to confession and so many young people. Whenever he\\u2019s at a youth event, there are long lines of young people waiting to go to the sacrament of confession.\\nScot added that there are many humorous videos on TheLightIsOnForYou.org as well, including one from Matt Weber, who has been a guest on TGCL.\\n\\nScot said a wonderful line: \\u201cI don\\u2019t like going to confession, but I love coming from confession.\\u201d Scot talked about going to St. Anthony\\u2019s Shrine on a regular basis and doesn\\u2019t think he\\u2019s had the same priest twice in more than a year. Fr. Mike said it\\u2019s better to go to a regular confessor, like a spiritual director, who can help someone get through their spiritual barriers, but if that\\u2019s the obstacle then just go.\\nFr. Mike emphasized that there will be a priest in every church and chapel on every Wednesday from 6:30pm to 8pm waiting for you to bring to you the loving mercy of God. Scot encouraged everyone to be an apostle of confession, going to confession and sharing the testimony of how it felt to be cleansed.'