Time for an African Pope?

I think so!

I'm very positive on the idea of the new Pope being African. The history of Africa has been one of capricious abuse and malicious neglect depending on the era. Either it was colonized and enslaved, or the world community allowed it to decline into a series of genocidal civil wars. The impression I've gotten from Western leaders is that nobody in power really cares when Africans kill one another because after all, they're just blacks. The racist policies that have enabled the ages of murder are a blight on the face of both Europe and the United States that must be overcome and repented for.

I believe that naming an African Pope would not only give credibility and attention to a continent that desperately needs it, but also it would validate the over 130 million African Catholics living there. My opinion is that the Holy Father should represent the strongest contingent of followers, which would definitely be in the developing world. But I must confess, my interest in this subject is absolutely biased and political. I want the Pope to be African for the sole purpose of keeping light on African that will hopefully lead to massive development projects. Paul O'Neil and Bono got together once during President Bush's first term to talk about bringing water to Africa. Maybe if the leader of Catholic Church gets involved the history of drought and famine could come to an end and shortly thereafter so would the civil wars and genocide.

And I just think it would be cool, you feel me?

Here's the story from AllAfrica.com:

South African Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu has backed calls for the next pope to be African, as others said the Nigerian Cardinal Francis Arinze stands a "very good chance".

Cardinal Arinze, currently the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, would then be the first Pope from Africa in 1 500 years.

Archbishop Tutu's backing, reports the UK-based Christian think-tank Ekklesia, comes as African cardinals leave for Rome to attend the Pope's funeral, amidst growing interest in the possibility of an African successor to John Paul II.

There are an estimated 130 million African Catholics -more than one in 10 members of the faith worldwide.

Some are talking about the possibility of Nigerian Cardinal Francis Arinze as the papal successor.

"Cardinal Arinze has a very good chance. He's been very loyal to Pope John Paul II. He's theologically conservative and not frightened to speak out," Catholic writer Geoff Watts told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme on Monday, April 4, 2005.

He noted the Cardinal would stick to the official Vatican line on banning condoms -a policy often criticised by HIV/Aids campaigners- but said he would be a "radical" candidate.

"I think a pope from a country like Nigeria would challenge the capitalist, imperialist philosophy that leaves the world split between the rich and poor," he said.

However, Catholic commentators in South Africa sounded less certain that the election of an African Pope would be the first choice of African Catholics.

Bishop Jabulani Nxumalo, the Catholic Auxiliary Bishop of Durban, suggested that the national origin of the Pope's successor would not be the first concern.

"I did not see John Paul II as a Polish Pope, but as a person of substance," Bishop Nxumalo told the BBC.

"Most important is to get a sound and solid leader. Where he comes from is a matter of indifference to me," he said.

Gunther Simmermacher, the editor of South Africa's Catholic newspaper, The Southern Cross, suggested that Catholics would put doctrinal issues first in determining which candidate they would wish to see elected.

Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Appiah Turkson -one of the 117 cardinals eligible to attend the Conclave to select the new pope- said by creating so many African cardinals in his time, Pope John Paul II acknowledged the importance of Africa.

Tributes for the Pope continue to pour in from across Africa, including South Africa's former President Nelson Mandela, who said it had been a privilege to meet him.

In Zimbabwe, the Archbishop of Bulawayo, Pius Ncube, praised the Pope as an "outstanding leader".

"He was very concerned about Africa, as well as other trouble spots such as the Middle East," Archbishop Ncube told AFP.

"He was concerned about the Aids crisis. He felt much more could be done," Archbishop Ncube added.

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe -someone who calls himself a Catholic, and someone frequently criticised by Archbishop Ncube- described John Paul II as "a very virtuous man, a virtuous leader of the Catholic Church".

During an interview with the South African Broadcasting Corporation to mark his Zanu-PF party's recent victory in parliamentary elections, Mr Mugabe said small nations such as Zimbabwe feared "the bullies of this world", and hoped that big nations would pay heed to the Pope's message of peace.