Oct 9, 2003 / 22:00 pm
Cardinal Oscar Andrés Rodríguez, Archbishop of Tegucigalpa, responded this week for the first time to reports in the media that point to him as a “candidate for Pope,” saying only the Holy Spirit knows who will succeed John Paul II.
“This is just the good will and affection of the people. Only the Holy Spirit knows if I will be the successor of John Paul II, and that will be on the day of the conclave and no sooner,” the Cardinal said, speaking to the newspaper La Prensa.
Cardinal Rodríguez, who has begun a prayer appeal in Honduras for the health of John Paul, told reporters, “We continue to pray for the Holy Father. Not because he is dying, but because he is weak and is suffering from a progressive illness.”
“My goal is to have 600,000 rosaries offered for the Holy Father’s health,” the Cardinal said.