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Three popes have had African birth or heritage.
According to the records of the Liber Pontificalis, all three were from the Roman Province of Africa (corresponding to the territory of modern Tunisia and Libya). The conquest of Byzantine North Africa by Islam during the 7th century largely eliminated the chance for another African pope until modern times.
- Pope Victor I (189 to 199)
- Pope Miltiades (310/311 to 314)
- Pope Gelasius I (492 to 496)
Modern African papabile
According to Philip Jenkins, the 20th century saw major changes for the Catholic Church. In 1920 Hilaire Belloc had proclaimed, "The Church is Europe, and Europe is the Church." By 1960, the College of Cardinals had its first African, Laurean Cardinal Rugambwa. By deliberate policy, John Paul II selected many cardinals from Third World nations, and by 2001 they made up over 40 percent of the body.
Jenkins sees the conservatism of John Paul II as particularly attractive to Catholics in developing nations and likely to be a dominant force in Catholic politics for some time. Francis Arinze, a Nigerian cardinal and advisor to Pope John Paul II, and was considered papabile before the 2005 papal conclave, which elected Benedict XVI. As Arinze is theologically conservative, Jenkins suggests he would bring African "notions of authority and charisma" to the office, rather than democracy.
Following the death of John Paul II, Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu endorsed calls for the election of a pope from Africa or the developing world, saying that he hoped the cardinals would "follow the first non-Italian pope by electing the first African pope" since Gelasius. According to the Financial Times, an African such as Arinze would "boost the popularity" of the Church, which is facing strong competition in Africa from Pentecostal, Baptist, and Evangelical sects. Jenkins states, "The prospect of a Black African pope understandably excites Christians of all political persuasions."
In the next conclave, Peter Cardinal Turkson of Ghana has been called "the most likely" candidate from Africa.
References
- ^ Philip Jenkins (2002). The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195146166.
- Carroll, Rory. 2003, October 3. "The Guardian Profile: Francis Cardinal Arinze." The Guardian.
- "The new pope should be African, says Tutu". The Star (South Africa). April 4 2005. Retrieved 2008-04-20.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - Andrew England (April 4 2005). "Kenyans pledge to carry on papal projects". The Financial Times. Retrieved 2008-04-20.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - Greg Watts (November 2 2007). "A mission to speak out of Africa". The Times. Retrieved 2008-04-20.
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