Papal Conclave: Will Sean O'Malley Or Timothy Dolan Become The First American Pope?

It could be years after the start of the post-Benedict XVI papal conclave until the world's 1.2 billion Catholics will have a new spiritual leader. However, that seems less than likely. The longest conclave of the 20th Century lasted five days -- a far cry from the two- and three-year conclaves of the Middle Ages.

Another fact that is becoming more and more certain is that the church has seemingly diverted from its tradition of selecting Italians as popes. Pope John Paul II was born Karol Wojtyla in Poland and most recently, Pope Benedict XVI, who was born Joseph Ratzinger, was from Marktl, Germany. The idea of an American-born pope has been seen worldwide for decades as unlikely. Some see the ordination of someone from the world's foremost superpower to be the highest spiritual leader of a worldwide religion as too much concentrated influence for one man. Others say that the papacy may become too "pro-Washington." Experts say the former may explain the lack of British and French popes in previous centuries.

However, as church doctrine evolves, so do the views of Catholics worldwide. Many say they have put the old view aside, and are instead concentrating on the Cardinals as individuals irrespective of their native land. Some Cardinals, such as Leonardi Sandri of Argentina, see the possibility of allowing women to be more active in church leadership. Then, of course, there is the aforementioned debate over the possibility of an American pope.

While it is custom not to campaign for the role of pope as is common in political elections, both Boston's Archbishop Sean Cardinal O'Malley and New York's Archbishop Timothy Cardinal Dolan have quite large followings in anticipation of the conclave. Social media is abuzz with taglines such as "TeamDolan" and the like.

Out of the two Americans, Cardinal O'Malley seems to have a slight lead in public opinion worldwide. He is more soft-spoken than Dolan, and has been praised for his work in cleaning up after his predecessor, Bernard Law, allegedly attempting to cover up aspects of the recent sex abuse scandal within the church. An Italian newspaper also interviewed eight Vatican experts, all of which chose O'Malley over similarly popular names such as Odilo Cardinal Scherer of Brazil.

Nonetheless, it seems Cardinal Dolan has captured the well-termed "popular" vote. Seen as one of the more outspoken and populist leaders of the church, and called the "Archbishop of the Capital of the World" by Pope John Paul II, he is known for his strong sense of humor and visibility in the battle over social values. He recently stood up against the Obama administration's health care mandate, writing in a statement that "religious freedom is under attack, and we will not cease our struggle to protect it."

These actions have garnered him much public attention. However, to some in Rome and elsewhere, he is said to be an example of someone who is "too American." As Eric Lyman wrote in USA Today, he prefers "beer to wine," and "barbecue to pasta."

So, when the camerlengo announces "Habeus Papam," or "we have a pope," it remains to be seen whether it will be someone from west of the Atlantic.