Crucial choice facing the next pope: reform or alienate a new generation

Francis shook up the Catholic church to acknowledge the gulf between its ways and the ways of the world. Now it falls to his successor to bring about change, argues

- Joanna Moorhead

Are we at the most crucial pontifical crossroads of all time? As cardinals gather in Rome for the conclave that begins next week, there's a feeling in some quarters that the next papacy will be pivotal.

To be fair, that has often been the mantra. In 30 years of reporting on the Catholic church, often from Rome, one of the phrases you hear most is that everything hangs not on this pontificate, but the next - that only if the next pope goes in the same direction as the last, will anything change.

And perhaps it's understandable that in an organisation that selects its leader from the ranks of ageing men - Francis was 76 when he was elected - thoughts quickly turn to what will happen when the incumbent dies. Especially since the system equates to an absolute monarchy: the man who wears the white cassock calls the shots.