A Black Pope?

Pope Francis has died. Isn’t it time for a black pope? Even though three early popes—Saints Victor I, Miltiades, and Gelasius I—were of North African origin, no pope of sub-Saharan African descent has been pope. The papacy has been dominated by Europeans and relatively few Africans have held high positions in the Vatican. The European missionaries to Africa seldom elevated black Africans to positions of leadership. All that has now changed. But the Church has gotten more liberal in its views. Catholic scholars have questioned doctrines like papal infallibility, the miracle accounts of the Bible, and even the deity of Christ. Polls say that more than two-thirds of U.S. Catholics have support gay marriage, three -fourth of U.S. Catholics favor government action to address climate change and 88% of U.S. Catholics do not oppose the ordination of women.

Contrast this with the views of the African clergy which has remained staunchly conservative.  The unspoken reason why an African cardinal won’t be the next pope is that even though Africa has the fastest growing centers of Catholicism, the African clergy are the most conservative in the church. How would the more liberal west respond to an African pope? The liberal views of Americans are more often the same or even less liberal than those of the Europeans. One would think that the modern west would rebel against the conservative leadership of an African pope.

The College of Cardinals choose the next pope from its members under the age of 80. Three cardinals are African: Cardinal Robert Sarah (Guinea, age 79), Cardinal Peter Turkson (Ghana, age 76) and Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu (DR Congo, age 65). Sarah served as Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and is known for his traditional views. Turkson served as President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace andis head of the Docastery from Promoting Integral Human Development. Although a traditionalist, he is considered the most liberal of the three. Ambongo is a strong voice for the moral authority of the church. If there were to be a black pope from among this group, it would be Cardinal Turkson.

Ironically, the smoke emanating from the Sistine Chapel can be either black or white. Black indicates that the voting by the College of Cardinals is inconclusive while white indicates that a new pope has been chosen. My guess is that when we see the smoke from the Sistine Chapel, the color of the pope will be the same as the color of the smoke.