With that, we hope that the white smoke will signal a “fourth” coming Black Pope.
After fifteen hundred years, since Pope Gelasius I, we think it just might be time for another Black Pope. And the likelihood of this occurring is not some far-fetched, wishful thinking notion.
Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, 64, of Ghana, is in the running for Pope. He has served as president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace since appointment by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009, served as Archbishop of Cape Coast, and was elevated to the cardinalate by Pope John Paul II in 2003.
Turkson is widely regarded as papabile.
But, most importantly, at this moment in the history of the Catholic church, it makes perfect sense to elect a Pope with African descent.
Why? Because, as Catholicism is declining in Europe and the United States, many believe the future of the Catholic Church is in Africa and Asia.
In the eight years of Benedict’s papacy, the number of Catholics in Africa grew by twenty-one percent and the number of priests by sixteen percent.
Other factors in his favor include age (he’s young for a pope), his willingness to embrace technological friendly and connect with younger populations, he speaks seven languages, and is a Biblical scholar in his own right.
Papal reporters are suggesting that the church is looking for a new face for the church; well – if that is the case – a younger, Black face is a stark contrast to an old White one.
With that, we hope that the white smoke will signal a “fourth” coming Black Pope.
