The Catholic Church has begun the process of choosing their next Pope. Pope Francis died three weeks ago, and after a period of mourning, the church is moving forward with selecting another Pope with a conclave. As has been the case with the last few opportunities to choose a new Pope, the world is wondering who could be the first Black Pope? And is this the year that it happens?
Two surprising candidates emerging as favorites are African Cardinals, Cardinal Robert Sarah and Cardinal Peter Turkson, both could be the first Black Pope.
The two Cardinals are being praised for their outspokenness on social issues and their personalities.
According to MSN, Catholicism is becoming the fastest-growing religion on the continent.
Of the 1.4 billion Catholics in the world, 20% are African. According to the Liber Pontificalis, the first Pope from Africa was Victor I, the 14th Pontiff, who served between 189 and 198.
While the possibility of the first Black Pope may be a long shot to some, it may be closer than we think.
Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson
Turkson was appointed by John Paul II in 2003 and was the first Ghanaian to be appointed a Cardinal.
He is the fourth of 10 children. Both parents were working-class people. His mother sold vegetables in a market, and his father worked in a mine. Before turning to the church, the potential future Pope played in a funk band.
He has often been praised for his energy and progressive thinking. Although many consider him conservative by today’s standards, he is one of the few Cardinals in the church who doesn’t think homosexuality is an offense. He is, however, against the spreading of Islam around the world and has gotten in trouble for speaking out against it, for which he later apologized.
Cardinal Robert Sarah
Guinean Cardinal Sarah has been just as outspoken against Islam. Unlike Turkson, Sarah is not only against homosexuality but also against abortion. He is highly conservative and outspoken about those views.
“We need worshipers! The world is dying for lack of worshipers,” he said at a presentation in Milan of his book, “Does God Exist?: The Cry of Man Asking for Salvation.” “The loss of the religious value of kneeling and the sense of worshiping God is the origin of all the fires and crises that shake the world and the Church.”
Although some may welcome Sarah as the new Pope, he is 79 years old, so his age may play against him.
Other Options Who Could Be The First Black Pope?
Another dark horse in this is Congolese Fridolin Ambongo Besungu of Africa, who is 65 years old and was appointed by Pope Francis. He has been the Archbishop of Kinshasa for the last seven years. He is also extremely conservative and has even gone as far as to say that same-sex marriages “contradict cultural norms and are inherently evil.”
Many think that it is way past time for the church to appoint an African Pope, especially since more people of color are joining the church. It would send a message about how far the church has come and how progressive it is.
One has to wonder though, since Pope Francis was much more progressive than some of the men mentioned on this list, if the church will lean towards another Pope Francis type, or will there be an opportunity for a more conservative Pope this time around?
