ANGELO SCOLA: NEW PATRIARCH AND NOW PAPABILE?

UNCLAS VATICAN 000076 SIPDIS DEPT. FOR EUR/WE (MENNUTI) SENSITIVE FROM EMBASSY VATICAN/MESSAGE NO. 003/02 E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PINR VT SUBJECT: ANGELO SCOLA: NEW PATRIARCH AND NOW PAPABILE? ¶1. (SBU) POPE JOHN PAUL II HAS APPOINTED A NEW PATRIARCH TO LEAD THE CATHOLIC ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION OF VENICE, ITALY. 60 YEAR OLD BISHOP ANGELO SCOLA IS ALREADY BEING TOUTED AS A CANDIDATE FOR THE NEXT PAPACY. VENICE HAS UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 VATICA 00076 071456Z PRODUCED THREE RECENT POPES WHO WERE PATRIARCHS PRIOR TO ELECTION - PIUS X, JOHN XXIII, AND JOHN PAUL I. SCOLA'S APPOINTMENT TO VENICE IS A SIGN OF THE PRESENT PONTIFF'S GREAT ESTEEM FOR THE NEW PATRIARCH. IT REPRESENTS A CONSOLIDATION OF THE CONSERVATIVE BLOC WITHIN THE ITALIAN BISHOPS CONFERENCE AND ENHANCES THE CHANCE OF AN ITALIAN EVENTUALLY REPLACING JOHN PAUL II. ¶2. (SBU) BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: ANGELO SCOLA WAS BORN NOVEMBER 7, 1941 IN MALGRATE, ITALY. AFTER OBTAINING A DEGREE IN PHILOSOPHY FROM THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF THE SACRED HEART IN MILAN, HE BEGAN HIS THEOLOGICAL STUDIES AT SEMINARIES IN SARONNO AND VENEGONO, EVENTUALLY EARNING A DOCTORAL DEGREE IN THEOLOGY FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF FRIBOURG IN SWITZERLAND. ACADEMICALLY BRILLIANT, SCOLA WAS ORDAINED A PRIEST ON JULY 18, 1970. HIS PRIESTLY CAREER INCLUDED UNIVERSITY PROFESSORSHIPS IN SWITZERLAND AND ITALY, CULMINATING WITH HIS APPOINTMENT IN 1995 AS RECTOR OF THE PONTIFICAL LATERAN UNIVERSITY IN ROME. SCOLA WAS APPOINTED BISHOP OF THE ITALIAN DIOCESE OF GROSETTO IN 1991, BUT REMAINED THERE A RELATIVELY SHORT TIME BEFORE MOVING ON TO THE LATERAN. HE HAS SERVED AS AN ADVISOR TO CARDINAL JOSEPH RATZINGER AT THE VATICAN OFFICE FOR DOCTRINAL ORTHODOXY. SCOLA IS COSMOPOLITAN, AFFABLE, INTELLIGENT, AND HAS A WARM AND FRIENDLY PERSONALITY. HE IS FIERCELY LOYAL TO POPE JOHN PAUL II AND THE TENETS OF CATHOLICISM BUT WITHOUT THE HANDICAP OF BEING A DEMAGOGUE - PREFERRING TO ENGAGE OTHERS BY REASON AND DIALOGUE ¶3. (SBU) COMMENT: SCOLA'S APPOINTMENT TO VENICE IS ANOTHER STEP ON WHAT APPEARS TO BE A CAREFULLY ORCHESTRATED CAREER. UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 VATICA 00076 071456Z THE FACT THAT HE IS THEOLOGICALLY AND POLITICALLY LINKED TO SUCH VATICAN ILLUMINATES AS SECRETARY OF STATE SODANO, ORTHODOXY CZAR RATZINGER, AND THE POPE'S DEPUTY FOR THE DIOCESE OF ROME, RUINI AUGURS WELL FOR THE CENTRISTS AT THE NEXT PAPAL CONCLAVE. SCOLA'S ROOTS IN THE COMMUNION AND LIBERATION MOVEMENT MAKE HIM A DARLING OF THE CONSERVATIVE SECULAR POLITICAL ESTABLISHMENT AT THE INTERNATIONAL LEVEL. IN THIS TWILIGHT ERA OF JOHN PAUL II'S PONTIFICATE PATRIARCH SCOLA, THE POLYGLOT WITH A BRILLIANT THEOLOGICAL REPUTATION, WILL BE WORTH KEEPING AN EYE ON. END COMMENT. MERANTE UNCLASSIFIED > 2002VATICA00076 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED