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CNN Live Sunday
Interview With Delia Gallagher
Aired May 18, 2003 - 16:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: The pope's age and frail health have many people wondering what will happen to the church after he is gone. Joining us from Rome now to talk about what the future may hold for the Catholic Church is Delia Gallagher, managing editor of "Inside the Vatican." Hello to you, Delia, thanks for being with us today. Talk to us a little bit first, if you would, about the pope's health.
We just saw in this piece that many people do believe it's deteriorating. What is your take on that?
DELIA GALLAGHER, MANAGING EDITOR, INSIDE THE VATICAN: Well, I say he's an 83-year-old man. He does have Parkinson's, he has been shot at, he had a number of operations and he has a schedule which would be difficult for a 30-year-old to keep up.
So, the facts are those, that he's an old man, and he's suffering from a disease, and nonetheless, he continues to have these wonderful celebrations every day, trips to Spain. He is about to do his 100th trip abroad to Croatia. So I think the speculation about his health and the deterioration of his health is really just the normal decline of an old man.
But as far as what the future is going to hold for this pope, we don't know. I mean, he's doing physical therapy every day to maintain that vigor. But nobody can really predict the exact state of his health and exactly what's going to happen -- Heidi.
COLLINS: In making his 100th papal trip, it seems to me that he's not cutting down on his schedule, a very busy schedule, as you mentioned. What about the significance of these events?
GALLAGHER: Well, of course, the papal trips are something that he himself asked for, wants to do. And really shows the way that he has a sort of inner drive, this mission to go throughout the world and to not stop and just remain in Rome, as many people suggest because he's getting older. Now, he's about to do his 100th trip, but he still has another trip that he holds very much as a dream, that is a trip to Russia that has yet to be completed. The Vatican is working on that, and we know that there is a possibility in August that he may go to Mongolia, and at that time, of course, could pass through Russia.
The patriarch of Russia, being one of the few men in the world who refuses to meet the pope. So this is something that Pope John Paul II still holds out as a great dream for him.
COLLINS: What would the future of the Catholic Church look like under a successor?
GALLAGHER: Well, it's hard to say, although we could say with some certainty the fact that all of the cardinals who are now eligible to be elected pope have been put in place by this pope.
So, you couldn't expect that it would veer too much from the thinking of this pope in terms of church teaching and church doctrine. What will be interesting to see is what country the next pope comes from, because, of course, we have a representation now in the College of Cardinals from every continent. So there's a likelihood -- whereas in the past, of course, all of the cardinals were Italian. So the chances were that it was going to be an Italian pope until this pope, and the chances for the next pope -- that the next pope will be from, perhaps, Latin or South America, perhaps Africa. Possibilities are really endless, and that will certainly color the church of the future.
Of course, it will be difficult for any pope to really follow in the footsteps of this pope, because this pope has been such a tremendous character, has a charisma, which may not be shared by all of the cardinals. This is something that he's really particular to this pope that he's able to communicate so well with the masses on television and get his message across. So those are going to be some hard shoes to fill -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes, there is no question about that, indeed. Delia Gallagher, managing editor of "Inside the Vatican." Thanks so much for your time today.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired May 18, 2003 - 16:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: The pope's age and frail health have many people wondering what will happen to the church after he is gone. Joining us from Rome now to talk about what the future may hold for the Catholic Church is Delia Gallagher, managing editor of "Inside the Vatican." Hello to you, Delia, thanks for being with us today. Talk to us a little bit first, if you would, about the pope's health.
We just saw in this piece that many people do believe it's deteriorating. What is your take on that?
DELIA GALLAGHER, MANAGING EDITOR, INSIDE THE VATICAN: Well, I say he's an 83-year-old man. He does have Parkinson's, he has been shot at, he had a number of operations and he has a schedule which would be difficult for a 30-year-old to keep up.
So, the facts are those, that he's an old man, and he's suffering from a disease, and nonetheless, he continues to have these wonderful celebrations every day, trips to Spain. He is about to do his 100th trip abroad to Croatia. So I think the speculation about his health and the deterioration of his health is really just the normal decline of an old man.
But as far as what the future is going to hold for this pope, we don't know. I mean, he's doing physical therapy every day to maintain that vigor. But nobody can really predict the exact state of his health and exactly what's going to happen -- Heidi.
COLLINS: In making his 100th papal trip, it seems to me that he's not cutting down on his schedule, a very busy schedule, as you mentioned. What about the significance of these events?
GALLAGHER: Well, of course, the papal trips are something that he himself asked for, wants to do. And really shows the way that he has a sort of inner drive, this mission to go throughout the world and to not stop and just remain in Rome, as many people suggest because he's getting older. Now, he's about to do his 100th trip, but he still has another trip that he holds very much as a dream, that is a trip to Russia that has yet to be completed. The Vatican is working on that, and we know that there is a possibility in August that he may go to Mongolia, and at that time, of course, could pass through Russia.
The patriarch of Russia, being one of the few men in the world who refuses to meet the pope. So this is something that Pope John Paul II still holds out as a great dream for him.
COLLINS: What would the future of the Catholic Church look like under a successor?
GALLAGHER: Well, it's hard to say, although we could say with some certainty the fact that all of the cardinals who are now eligible to be elected pope have been put in place by this pope.
So, you couldn't expect that it would veer too much from the thinking of this pope in terms of church teaching and church doctrine. What will be interesting to see is what country the next pope comes from, because, of course, we have a representation now in the College of Cardinals from every continent. So there's a likelihood -- whereas in the past, of course, all of the cardinals were Italian. So the chances were that it was going to be an Italian pope until this pope, and the chances for the next pope -- that the next pope will be from, perhaps, Latin or South America, perhaps Africa. Possibilities are really endless, and that will certainly color the church of the future.
Of course, it will be difficult for any pope to really follow in the footsteps of this pope, because this pope has been such a tremendous character, has a charisma, which may not be shared by all of the cardinals. This is something that he's really particular to this pope that he's able to communicate so well with the masses on television and get his message across. So those are going to be some hard shoes to fill -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes, there is no question about that, indeed. Delia Gallagher, managing editor of "Inside the Vatican." Thanks so much for your time today.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
