Church looks to future after burying John Paul

VATICAN CITY - The Roman Catholic Church begins over the next nine days discussing the many issues likely to face a successor to Pope John Paul, having paid its last respects to him at a majestic funeral Mass.

The 117 cardinals due to elect a new pope in a conclave beginning on April 18 will meet in daily closed-door plenary sessions at the Vatican and small huddles in Rome restaurants to swap views on leading the world's 1.1 billion Catholics.

More than 160 red-hatted "Princes of the Church", including those over 80 who can no longer vote, joined the powerful and the poor at the Vatican funeral on Friday for the Pole who symbolised the Church round the world for the past 26 years.

"Santo subito! (Make him a saint immediately!)," the crowds chanted in Italian, interrupting the carefully scripted open-air Latin Mass in an outpouring of emotion for a man they hailed as a 20th century giant.

While several cardinals said before the funeral they wanted another pope like John Paul, they know he has no obvious successor. Several Italians and Latin Americans are tipped as frontrunners, but conclaves can and do produce surprises.

"All the cardinals are really conscious of the fact that this is the most solemn responsibility they will exercise in their lives -- to choose a successor to St Peter," Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia told reporters.

"It is not an election in the usual understanding of the word. This is a choice based on what we believe is best for the people of God and the entire world," Cardinal Edward Egan of New York said on CNN.

Since they rarely meet like this, members of this exclusive global club also need time to get to know each other better.

"There won't be any plotting sessions," said Brussels Cardinal Godfried Danneels, hoping to discourage reporters eager to find out what these grandfatherly looking figures would discuss.

The daily plenary meetings, known as a General Congregation, are secret and church rules say participants cannot reveal what is discussed. Cardinals are under pressure not to meet the media at all, on the theory this will dampen speculation.

"I think that this time nationality, skin colour and origins will play much less of a role than before," said Cardinal Karl Lehmann of Germany, whose cardinals were instrumental in rallying support for John Paul when he was elected in 1978.

While they avoid discussing names in public, prelates have spent the past few days spelling out to the media the issues they felt the Church must confront under a new pope.

Chicago Cardinal Francis George cited a growing anti-religious mood in Europe, world poverty, ethical quandries presented by modern medicine and competition from Islam as key issues.

"We can't have one person to do all this," he said.

Since the majority of cardinals run their own archdioceses, another issue could be whether to ease the Vatican bureaucracy's tight grip over decision-making in the church.

"I'm tempted to say I'd prefer to see a pastor elected, a bishop who has experience of working on the ground," said Henri Schwery of Sion, the only Swiss cardinal voting in the conclave.

A better balance between the Vatican and local churches is one of the few points of agreement between reformist laymen and the cardinals, all but three of whom were appointed by John Paul and share many, if not all, of his conservative doctrinal views.

- REUTERS