After four decades abroad, Italians hope the papacy is coming home
Rome: On the eve of the conclave, Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi found himself dodging questions as he was mugged by a waiting media pack about his chances of being the next pope.
Walking the cobblestone streets of Vatican City, he joked with reporters, telling them he was on his way to his barber, poking fun at the intense media focus on his candidacy.
'If the conclave lasts a couple of months, at least I'll fix myself up a bit,' he quipped, laughing as he added, 'As my mother would have said: 'Where are you going looking like that?''
Despite his self-deprecating denial of being 'papabile' – the Italian term for a man who could be pope – speculation around his name continues to grow, fuelled by his diplomatic achievements as Francis' special envoy to Russia and Ukraine.
For Italians, the idea of an Italian pope has always been more than just a matter of religion; it's an integral part of their identity. The Vatican, sitting at the heart of Rome, has long been part of the country's cultural fabric. For centuries, the papacy was firmly in Italian hands, with 213 of the 266 popes throughout history coming from Italy.
That relationship came to an end in 1978 when Albino Luciani, the patriarch of Venice, briefly ascended as Pope John Paul I. His death 33 days later marked a shift in papacy, with popes from Poland, Germany, and Argentina following. As the church became more global, Italy's influence within the College of Cardinals waned, although it still has 17 cardinal electors.
As one Roman prelate reportedly quipped this week: 'Wouldn't it be nice if the next pope were Italian?'
Alberto Melloni, a historian of the Catholic Church at the University of Bologna, says Italy's history is inseparable from the Vatican. 'The church's influence has shaped everything from art to politics to education in this country,' he said.
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