The official news from the Vatican press office (translated by Bable Fish), says this of Pope John Paul II's condition overnight in the hospital: "During the night the Saint Padre has rested for some hours." It describes the pope as being in stable condition.

But his apparent close call last night might make some Catholics wonder: After him, who? Who will succeed the only pope more than half the living world has ever known?

The simple fact is there is no way to predict to whom the College of Cardinals will turn to lead the billion-plus member church. What is known is that Pope John Paul II selected and promoted almost all of them - a group of about 145 men who share important aspects of the pope's theological beliefs.

Some other assumptions can be made (keeping in mind why it's dangerous to assume):

- The cardinals would not want to elect an elderly pope. Look for someone under the age of 70.

- The cardinals would not want to elect a pope who is too young, given that it's a lifetime position and given that Pope John Paul II - elected when he was in his 50s - has served for more than 25 years. Cardinals may think a term of that length is too much. Look for someone older than 60.

- Forget an American pope. Not gonna happen, not in our lifetime. However, Pope John Paul II, while Polish, had tremendous appeal to Americans when he was elected. He was chosen as an anti-communist, vigorous and youthful. A cardinal with American appeal could have an advantage in gaining support of cardinals concerned about further alienation of Catholics in the U.S.

- Catholics waiting for a new pope who will alter church doctrine on sex and procreation will probably be out of luck. Since Pope John Paul II selected almost all of the cardinals, it would be shocking if a reformer were elevated. Look for a cardinal who is a traditionalist.

- The Church was rightly criticized for its poor diplomatic decisions during World War II, while Pope John Paul II was regarded as a courageous defender of freedom at the end of the Cold War. Cardinals may have learned from history, and may very well look for proven diplomatic skills in choosing their next leader.

So, with those issues in mind, here's a look at some potential candidates for the papacy:

Cardinal Polycarp Pengo. Tanzanian, Pengo is a tireless advocate for the poor. He also has a reputation for speaking his mind and letting the chips fall where they may. His country has been ravaged by AIDS - but Pengo has reportedly downplayed the effectiveness of condoms in thwarting the crisis. With The Church and the rest of the world grappling with the African AIDS problem, Pengo could either be viewed positively by conservative cardinals for withstanding pressure to relent on birth control. But he could viewed as a potential diplomacy problem for countries who want to help Africa, and believe condoms are necessary.

Cardinal Christoph Schonborn of Austria.

Another non-Italian, European pope? It could be a longshot. Schonborn has been among the fiercest critics of anti-Catholicism in Europe, but spent seven years working on The Church's efforts to reconcile with the Orthodox Catholic Church - a major project of Pope John Paul II's. So he both wins and loses points on the diplomatic front, but loses points because the odds are against another pope from his region of Europe.

Cardinal Norberto Rivera-Carrera. Rivera-Carrera, a Mexican, is among the most outspoken, pro-life clerics in the West. Mexico is almost 90 percent Catholic, but Rivera-Carerra may not have enough of a constituency in the College of Cardinals to even come close.

Cardinal Dionigo Tettamanzi. He will be 71 next month, which would put him on the outside of the "age" criteria discussed earlier. However, he is considered a moral conservative - like Pope John Paul II - and has been called "an Italian Pope John Paul II." He is probably the oldest member of the College of Cardinals who could be chosen.

Cardinal Keith O'Brien. How about a Scottish pope who was born on St. Patrick's Day? Cardinal O'Brien is also of the same mind as Pope John Paul II on procreation and sex. But it would likely be a warm, windless day at St. Andrew's before you'll see a Scottish pope.

Cardinal Wilfred Napier. South African, Napier is close to Nelson Mandela, studied in Ireland and said in an interview of his favorite music: "I listen to classical music, and pop as well. One of my favourites is the Credence Clearwater Revival. In the year of my ordination they released a single called Have You Ever Seen The Rain, and the b-side was also very good, Hey Tonight." He LOVES Credence. More importantly, to the other cardinals, he disputes the effectiveness of condoms in combating AIDS. Who knows whether his close relationship with Mandela would be viewed as a plus or minus by the other cardinals? In any event, if an African pope were to be given serious consideration, Napier could be viewed as being at the top of the list.

For a while, Cardinal Francis Arinze of Nigeria and Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger have been viewed as favorites to become the next pope. However, Arinze is 72 And Ratzinger is 77 - which may be just too old for many in the College of Cardinals to consider when weighed against the other contenders.

After all, since the pope is reportedly doing much better today than yesterday, Arinze and Ratzinger may very well be retired before the College of Cardinals gets to vote.