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sparked calls for his successor to come from Africa, home to the world’s fastest-growing Catholic population and the epicentre of key issues facing the church.
Those pushing for an African pope argue that around 15 percent of the world’s 1,2 billion Catholics live in Africa and the percentage has expanded significantly in recent years compared to other parts of the world.
Although authorities insist the cardinals would be guided by the holy spirit in their selection of the new leader, ordinary Catholics want the focus to be on blacks on the continent and in the Diaspora.
“This is our time to give the church a new direction and impetus,” a priest from Murehwa, who refused to be named, said.
“They should consider a black pope to freshen up the church.”
Mrs Olivia Mwenga, who attends church Highfield, Harare, said they wanted a pope who understood problems facing the continent.
“We need to feel that we are part of the church since the feeling has been that we are slowly being excluded spiritually with all focus being on other continents.
“Imagine the joy throughout the continent if a black pope is appointed. The expectations will be high among Catholics.”
Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference secretary-general Father Frederick Chiromba said while people might take pride in having a pope coming from Africa, cardinals who elect the new pontiff would be guided by the holy spirit.
“The church has always been open on that.
“The selection was never restricted to a specific origin. What the cardinals need to consider is the changing society and to decide who among them would lead them, particularly at this time.”
Fr Chiromba said the church did not allow lobbying for positions.
The new pope would be chosen by the church’s 117 cardinals in the next two weeks.
Several African countries – including Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Mozambique, South Africa and Zambia – have cardinals.
The pope’s representative in Zimbabwe, Fr George Kocherry, said people should not be preoccupied by which race the next pope would be.
“It’s the holy spirit that guides in electing the pope. The holy spirit guides the cardinals who come from all over the world. Individual views have no place in the election.”
Several names from Africa have been thrown around as the pope’s potential successors.
These include Ghana’s Peter Turkson and Nigerians John Onaiyekan and Francis Arinze.
Cardinal Turkson and Cardinal Odilo Scherer of Brazil are among those mentioned as candidates together with Cardinal Laurent Mosengwo of the DRC.
There are no open campaigns or declared candidates for the post of pope and cardinals are forbidden by church law from revealing who they voted for.
Many cardinals choose their favourite after a series of discreet contacts in the days before the election.
A leading Catholic archbishop from Ghana, Matthias Kobena Nketsiah, said a black African pope would be “quite some miracle”.
He said a developing world candidate might have to overcome negative perceptions within the Catholic hierarchy.
“If the church chooses a Third World person or a black pope, it will have to come to terms with itself,” he told Reuters.
“I am not saying the church is racist, but there are overtones and perceptions that maybe add up to that.”
Two-thirds of today’s Catholics live in Latin America, Africa and Asia.
Africans from different countries were quoted in various media as pushing for a black pope.
“I think that, with the black community’s representation in the larger Catholic community, it is legitimate that we have a black pope,” Rene Legre Hokou, head of the Ivory Coast League of Human Rights said early this week.
Pat Utomi, a prominent Catholic in Nigeria who is an economist and former presidential candidate, said he would take pride in seeing an African elected.
Vatican watchers said the college of cardinals could seize the moment to elect a Latin-American, African or Asian pope.
Online Reporter