As the world mourns the death of Pope Francis, the Catholic Church faces a critical moment in choosing its next spiritual leader.
Three African cardinals from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana and Guinea are among the contenders for the papacy so could the continent provide the first black pope of modern times?
The next pope will take over a Roman Catholic Church with dwindling membership in Europe, North America and Latin America, but surging numbers across Asia and Africa.
Why it matters: That’s a big reason why two of the cardinals widely seen as top contenders to lead the 1.4 billion-member church after Pope Francis are from Asia and Africa, regions where the church is particularly focused on increasing its influence.
Cardinal Luis Tagle of the Philippines and Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Turkson are top contenders to be the next pope, said Andrew Chesnut, the Bishop Walter F. Sullivan chairman in Catholic Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University.
- The conclave’s election of either would be a dramatic, history-making moment for the Catholic Church.
- There hasn’t been a pope of Asian descent for more than 12 centuries, and it’s been even longer since there was a pope believed to have been from Africa. Twelve years ago, Francis became the first pope from Latin America.
- Turkson, who comes from a family of 10 children in Western Ghana, is from a region that already has an exploding rate of church membership.
Pope Francis was seen as a progressive pontiff. He spoke out against economic inequality, warned about climate change, and sympathized with migrants, the poor and the marginalized.
- He also affirmed that transgender people could be baptized and supported same-sex unions.
- Either Tagle or Turkson would be seen as representing a moderate-leaning “correction” in the Roman Catholic Church from the more progressive Francis.
- But both Tagle and Turkson have spoken out in support of migrants and those in poverty, said Chesnut, who correctly predicted Pope Francis’ election in 2013.
