Canada

Photo: The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

The parish church where Cardinal Marc Ouellet attended mass as a child is seen Friday, March 1, in La Motte, Que. The sleepy hometown of a Canadian contender for the papacy is bracing for the possibility of him actually becoming pope. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

There are no hotel rooms in this town and the closest thing to a restaurant is the general store that sells chips and chocolate along a regional snowmobile trail.

The sleepy hometown of a Canadian contender for the papacy is bracing for the possibility of him actually becoming pope.

The prospect of receiving such sudden international recognition has prompted a mix of excitement and concern in Cardinal Marc Ouellet's community of La Motte, Que.

Many in the peaceful municipality of 439 fear the overnight transformation to becoming the birthplace of a pope would shatter the tranquility that lured them there in the first place.

Others, however, are eager to roll out a welcome mat for the potential influx of tourists, and their wallets.

The owners of the general store were already thinking about the possibilities well before the conclave, which begins Tuesday in Rome.

Line Breault's eyes lit up when talking about Ouellet becoming pope, something she said would fill the people of La Motte with pride. She also predicted it would be a financial boon.

"Seeing that we've reached a certain age, maybe we'll find a buyer so that we could retire," said Breault, who runs Epicerie Chez Flo with her husband, Florian.