Electing an African Pope to lead the Catholic Church would be a historic move, says expert

On Saturday, Pope Francis—the head of the Catholic Church, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio—will be laid to rest in Rome in a simple yet rare ceremony that only a few people have witnessed throughout history.

The 88-year-old Pope died on Easter Monday.

There has been speculation about who will succeed Pope Francis as the next leader of the more than one billion Catholics worldwide.

For centuries, the role of the Pope in the Catholic Church has been occupied by clergy of European descent, particularly those of Italian descent.

An opportunity for Africa to make history

The Citizen spoke to Theologian, Professor Itumeleng Mothoagae, from the University of South Africa (Unisa), about the succession debate in the Catholic Church.

Mothoage believes that the death of Pope Francis has intensified speculation about the next pope potentially being African.

He says electing an African Pope would be a historic move, given that the Church’s leadership has not been African in more than 1,500 years.

“Two African cardinals—Peter Turkson from Ghana and Robert Sarah from Guinea—are considered frontrunners in the papal election. Their candidacies symbolise Africa’s growing influence and could mark a significant shift reflecting the Church’s demographic realities,” he said.

The new Pope will be elected by a college of cardinals from all over the world. Experts on Vatican politics say the current college of cardinals is the most diverse in the church’s history.

Africa is home to one of the fastest-growing Catholic populations globally, with over 250 million Catholics and millions of new baptisms annually.

Africa is an important player in the Christian world

Mothoagae says the continent’s importance to the Church is rising and is reflected in increasing vocations and active engagement with the Vatican.

 “Pope Francis’s outreach and visits to African countries helped raise the continent’s profile and strengthened the Church’s presence there,” he said.

He says the papal transition is seen as an opportunity for greater representation and voice within the global Church for the continent.

“An African pope or leadership more attuned to Africa’s realities could bring renewed focus on issues like poverty, conflict, and social justice that profoundly affect the region.”

He said Christianity in Africa is growing at about 2.6% per year, significantly higher than the global average.

“Nearly half of all global Christian growth is happening in Africa, with about 14 million new Christians yearly.

“Historical Perspective: In 1910, only 9.4% of Africans were Christian; by 2018, this had risen to around 45-60%, depending on the country and definition used,” he said.

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Pope Francis had a soft spot for the continent

Meanwhile, Fr Lawrence Ndlovu, the administrator of the Cathedral of Christ the King in Johannesburg, says Pope Francis was interested in Africa.

The Pope visited Africa frequently and spoke against colonialism and the sufferings caused by decisions not made on the continent. 

“In him, Africa has lost a champion because he understood how the continent was exploited and yet had so much potential,” Ndlovu said.

Ndlovu said he could not tell if the College of Cardinals would elect an African Pope when the conclave meets to vote on the new leader of the church.

“One can never really tell at this point where the next pope will come from.  Francis diversified the college of cardinals by adding cardinals from all over the world, including Asia, India, and Latin America.”

Pope Francis will be buried in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, a decision that defies tradition.

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